Poland/Enterprises/Transport
Warsaw (Puls Biznesu) – The new deputy Infrastructure Minister Grzegorz Medza has a plan for PKP, Poland’s railways. His ideas are fresh, brave, and controversial. ‘We have a chance to prevent railways become an unimportant means of transportation as it happened in EU countries. Today, the Union is trying to revive railway transport as it is safer and better for environment. The priority is to stop the passengers and cargo drop’, Grzegorz Medza said.
The deputy minister has prepared restructuring programme for PKP, and the bill will be discussed in all involved ministries. ‘Fees for railways must be lowered to increase competitiveness against automotive transport. Cheaper access will lure new carriers, which will be an incentive for PKP’, the deputy minister said. In his opinion, costs in railway companies could be lower by 15 percent.
He wants to privatise WKD and SKM, trains popular in urban areas, as soon as possible. Then, investors for eight repairing plans will be looked for. In 2005, a strategic investor for PKP Intercity would be found. PKP Cargo, however, should wait with privatisation till 2007 in order to be sold for a better price.
Grzegorz Medza believes, a special company should be created that would be responsible for buying and leasing railway cars. The company would spend the PLN 550 million (EUR 126.5 million) that Sejm, the lower chamber of Polish Parliament, decided to give for railways. ‘Local authorities which received PLN 200 million for the same targets would join the company, too. Such solutions were adopted in many countries’, the deputy Infrastructure Minister said.
(PLN 1= EUR 0.229)