The Podkarpacie regional government has taken a firm stand against the government’s plans for the Central Communication Port (CPK) due to the exclusion of a crucial rail connection linking the region to the Baranów airport. This opposition is also supported by PiS MPs.
During a press conference in Jasionka on Thursday, Podkarpacie Marshal Władysław Ortyl emphasized the administration’s stance against the transportation exclusion of Podkarpacie and Rzeszów from the network of connections leading to the CPK. While the administration appreciates the government’s decision to continue the construction of the CPK, Ortyl expressed concerns over the lack of proposed rail “spokes” that would connect various regions of Poland.
“Our concerns are about the absence of the communication spokes proposed by Law and Justice, which connected different regions of our country,” Ortyl stated. He drew parallels to the previous exclusion of the S19 expressway (Via Carpatia) from the program documents of the first PO-PSL government.
Ortyl noted the strategic importance of Podkarpacie as a crucial transport hub, especially considering its role in aiding Ukraine and potentially in the future reconstruction efforts. “Now we express our anxiety because these maps show that we should travel to Warsaw via Krakow. Let me remind you, we are an important communication hub, strategically, from the point of view of helping Ukraine, or in the future, the reconstruction of Ukraine. This must be noticed,” he said.
The Marshal added that the region is being “erased from investment plans,” which is deeply concerning. He also reminded that the CPK plans, especially the proposed rail spokes, were well received in Brussels.
The planned spoke included a railway connection from Sanok and Krosno to Rzeszów, significantly improving transportation in the southern part of the region.
At the conference, regional PiS leader MP Ewa Leniart stressed that the CPK construction was meant to be a development impulse for both the country and Podkarpacie. According to her, once the CPK was built, a train journey to the capital would take about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Currently, a train ride from Rzeszów to Warsaw via Krakow, unless it’s a Pendolino, takes about 5 hours.
“Today, we know that nothing proposed by Donald Tusk’s government benefits Rzeszów or Podkarpacie. As the head of the parliamentary team for the development of Podkarpacie, representing all Law and Justice MPs who work intensively in this team, I want to say that this means stagnation and lack of development for our region,” Leniart stated.
She underscored that modern transport involves not just rapid communication but also job creation. Leniart called on local PO politicians and other government coalition members not to agree to Podkarpacie’s exclusion from transportation development.
PiS MP Rafał Weber, also present at Jasionka, criticized the current government’s lack of railway investments east of the Vistula River. He emphasized the necessity of pressuring the government to reverse its plans and restore the construction of the spokes to the CPK.