Economy, Transportation

After the collapse of Communism in 1989, Polish authorities began making plans to modernize the country’s transportation network. Though a number of such projects are underway, others have been limited by lack of funding.

Poland has a relatively dense rail network that links most cities and towns; the network consists of 22,891 km (14,224 mi) of track. In the 1980s the government began to modernize portions of railroad track located along key routes. In the mid-1990s a major upgrading of two international and two domestic rail lines began, as did the construction of a new rail line linking Warsaw with Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Many of Poland’s hard-surfaced public roads are in poor condition due to maintenance reductions. The number of motor vehicles in Poland has increased considerably since the late 1980s. A massive increase in the number of gas, garage, and refreshment facilities is likely to occur in the coming years, as fuel and other transportation-related industries are transferred to private ownership.

Poland has nearly 4,000 km (2,485 mi) of navigable inland waterway. The country’s main rivers are connected by 1,215 km of canals to the inland ports of Gliwice, Wroclaw, and Warsaw. The principal seaports are located at Gdansk, Gdynia, and Szczecin. Poland’s main airport is in Warsaw; additional airports are located in a number of other cities.