PKP Cargo is planning to scrap a significant portion of its rail fleet. Surprisingly, it’s not just old coal wagons on the chopping block—some of the wagons slated for destruction have never even been used. Among them are platforms designed for transporting tanks, raising alarm amid current geopolitical tensions.
The issue was raised by Dr. Jakub Majewski, president of the ProKolej Foundation, during a meeting of the Sejm’s Standing Subcommittee on Railway Transport.
According to ProKolej, the wagons are only available for purchase as scrap. This means potential buyers cannot repurpose them or put them back into service.
“This approach artificially deflates the value of the assets: scrap metal from a wagon is worth far less than a functional wagon. The auction listing describes the wagons as waste, requiring mandatory dismantling—cutting the chassis in two, slicing through each underframe and bogie frame, and scoring the wheelsets. Even resale of parts is prohibited,”
Majewski explained.
Equally baffling is the type of rolling stock being sold. Of the 10,360 wagons offered in the first batch, over half are 430W coal wagons produced between 2005 and 2008—still considered relatively modern.
What’s more, as confirmed by PKP Cargo CEO Agnieszka Wasilewska-Semail, some of the wagons listed have never been used. These include forward-looking models designed for intermodal transport—a sector the company had publicly declared strategic.
“Some of these wagons were never used. They were bought long ago as intermodal platforms intended to support the company’s development—but they were sidelined after the ‘coal decision’ was made,”
she said.
This revelation contradicts PKP Cargo’s recent ambitions. At the Polish Infrastructure Congress, the company had vowed to dominate the intermodal rail freight market, as reported by Rynek Kolejowy.
Even more concerning, according to ProKolej, the liquidation list includes flatcars intended for transporting military tanks.
“Given the current geopolitical climate, this is cause for serious concern,”
Majewski stressed.
Also headed for the scrapyard are wagons for transporting steel, self-discharging ballast cars, and wagons designed for moving large transformers.
“Some of these cars were still in operation just 4–5 years ago and are now only awaiting scheduled P4 and P5 maintenance,”
Majewski noted, citing tender documentation and other records.
He also pointed out that the lack of Eas-type wagons—tilting-end coal cars now being scrapped—may have prevented PKP Cargo from bidding on a recent tender to transport iron ore to the steelworks in Třinec.
The news sparked a strong reaction from Łukasz Kmita, an MP from the Law and Justice party, who called the revelations “shocking.”
“We’ve been told these were outdated coal cars, but it turns out that some are barely 20 years old—practically new. We should consider notifying the prosecutor’s office about actions potentially detrimental to the company,”
Kmita said, requesting detailed wagon specifications be shared with all committee members.
PKP Cargo representatives promised to deliver the documentation.