The updated train speed limits within the High-Speed Rail project are stirring controversy. Raising speeds above 300 km/h effectively excludes Polish manufacturers from being able to participate in the tender. As it turns out, German company Siemens is rubbing its hands in anticipation of this situation.
“Thanks to the adopted assumptions for High-Speed Rail, shorter travel times will bring a fundamental change in the quality of travel across Poland. The analyses contained in the Technical-Economic-Environmental Studies (STEŚ) and Construction Projects for each section of the ‘Y’ line have, from the very beginning, taken into account a maximum design speed of 350 km/h. This allowed the decision to be made to increase the operational speed of trains, from the originally planned 250 km/h to as much as 350 km/h,” CPK announced on August 19, 2025.
Earlier, Maciej Lasek, the government’s plenipotentiary for CPK, spoke about raising the speed of the fastest trains to 320 km/h, arguing that 250 km/h represented only “slightly higher-speed rail,” which, in his opinion, would not be competitive.
What does increasing the operational speed to 350 km/h mean in practice? A journey from Warsaw Central to Łódź would be 6 minutes shorter, from Warsaw to Wrocław 15 minutes shorter, and from Warsaw to Poznań 20 minutes shorter.
On the other hand, the increase in speed has many negative aspects.
Critics pointed out that it primarily means “cutting out” Polish rolling stock manufacturers from the tender, as none of them are currently capable of producing trains that can reach such speeds. Moreover, it is expected to also result in significantly higher ticket prices for passengers
“The fastest railway in Europe” and invoking Russia
The issue also surfaced during a meeting of the Council of Ministers.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk spoke about “the fastest railways in Europe.”
“I don’t want to indulge in bad conjectures here, but those of you more familiar with the subject know who would be interested, for business reasons, in keeping the level at just 250 km/h. But I actually know. If need be, I’ll whisper later to the President who is really interested in limiting Poland’s ambitions when it comes to high-speed rail,” said Tusk.
The next day, Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak suggested in the media that there were connections with Russia.
“We also want our high-speed rail to be the best, the fastest in Europe. He [Marcin Horała] is proposing high-speed rail like in Russia. 250 km/h, Moscow-St. Petersburg, they travel there at 250 and think they have high-speed rail. No, 250 km/h we will provide on existing lines, for example, the Central Trunk Line (CMK) from Warsaw toward Lesser Poland and Silesia, and in 2 years we’ll run 250 km/h there,” Klimczak said.
But what does Marcin Horała, former government plenipotentiary for CPK, point out?
“‘The fastest railways in Europe’ according to Donald Tusk? Sounds nice, but what does it really mean? Cutting out cities like Kalisz, Sieradz, Włocławek, Grudziądz, and many other medium-sized towns, leaving Polish rolling stock manufacturers out in the cold, profits will flow abroad; more expensive tickets for all of us; higher energy consumption, where’s the ecology here? The advantages? A few minutes faster travel time and joy for foreign companies,” Horała argued in the media.
Will Siemens benefit?
The most heavily criticized aspect, however, is the exclusion of Polish companies, especially in light of the fact that only a few months ago the Prime Minister himself spoke of the need for repolonization in many sectors of the economy.
Janusz Malinowski, head of PKP Intercity, wrote directly about the consequences of raising operational speeds over a month ago.
“Perhaps it’s worth asking Polish companies whether they have, or in how many years they could have, the competences and technology to build trains capable of 250 km/h. For now, none. There have already been experiences with prototypes, and unfortunately, innocent passengers paid the price,” Malinowski wrote in a discussion on the issue.
Currently, Bydgoszcz-based Pesa is working on adapting trains for 250 km/h.
Who stands to gain? Primarily foreign companies, but Siemens of Germany is most frequently mentioned.
This was said outright by Piotr Rachwalski, a member of the CPK management board.
Writing on social media about the tender for 350 km/h trains, Rachwalski emphasized that it will be “difficult and complex.”
“This time it definitely won’t end with just 2 offers, though, given factory workloads, the outcome may vary. Besides the obvious players like ALSTOM or SIEMENS, TALGO and aspiring Spanish CAF are also sharpening their teeth, as well as HYUNDAI or HITACHI from the East. None of them, however, have European certifications yet, but… the fact is, there’s been a drought for years; there have been almost no tenders in Europe for new high-speed trains, and manufacturers have invested heavily in their products, wanting to somehow recoup those enormous expenses and years of design and testing. So if the criteria aren’t too strict, we can expect strong interest. Siemens, for sure, will not let go this time. Oh, I feel things are going to happen,” wrote Rachwalski.
Germany looks for investments
It is worth noting that Siemens’ high-speed trains have already been tested on Polish tracks.
At the beginning of July, Deutsche Bahn announced that it would invest €200 million in developing long-distance international transport. Thirty-two ICE 3neo trains are to be adapted to run on tracks in Poland and France, with Siemens Mobility responsible for the adjustments.
“Thanks to the expansion of the ICE 3neo, cross-border traffic to Paris and Warsaw will truly gain momentum, thanks to technical expertise and the necessary investments. (…) We strongly support this important step toward deepening our friendly cooperation with France and Poland,” said Ulrich Lange of the Federal Ministry of Transport.
Just days earlier, industry media had reported that the ICE 3neo would be tested at the Żmigród test track.
PKP Intercity accelerates
At the beginning of the week, Deputy Infrastructure Minister Piotr Malepszak announced that PKP Intercity would still this year launch a tender for the supply of 26 high-speed trains, which will serve the High-Speed Rail system (KDP) and run at speeds of 320 km/h.
He also confirmed that operating trains at 320 km/h will increase energy consumption compared with trains running at 250 km/h, but in his view, this would only raise ticket prices by about 8 PLN per passenger.