Next year, PKP Przewozy Regionalne are supposed to be conveyed to local authorities, jointly with the trains, staff and routes. With one exception: trains covering more than one voivodiship. There are over 300 such trains. Contrary to local routes financed by local authorities, these trains are subsidized by the Ministry of Transport which spends over PLN 200m (EUR 52.9m) annually covering 20 percent of the costs. The rest comes from revenues generated from ticket sales.
Last year, intraregional trains increased the number of passengers by 1m. The Ministry does not know what to do with the trains.
“There are two solutions: either the ministry will give the trans to PKP Intercity company or it should fund a separate company”, Jakub Majewski from the Institute of Railway Development and Promotion believes.
In his opinion, the second solution is better. PKP IC is going to be listed in 2009 so the company should have transparent finances which won’t be easy with regional trains.
“Intraregional routes are a market with perspectives but if they go to Intercity, its privatization may be delayed”, Jakub Majewski said.
(PLN 1 = EUR 0.264)