The Polish Climate Congress and the Central Northern European Climate Summit took place on 25 and 26 March 2025. Almost 150 experts from Poland and abroad took part in twenty-six discussion panels.
Railway-related topics and ways to decarbonise it were also discussed during the Congress. Representatives of the PKP Group and railway market experts took part in the discussion ‘Railway for sustainable development. Decarbonisation of transport based on good practices in the railway industry’.
Rail transport in Poland and Europe is an example of one of the most environmentally friendly means of transport. During the debate, the participants discussed the equalisation of the conditions of competition between rail and road transport, decarbonisation, investments in new rolling stock and hydrogen solutions. An important issue raised during the discussion was also the energy transformation of the Polish economy, because the current energy mix significantly affects the cost of operating rail transport.
Unlike road transport, railways pay for access to infrastructure – for every kilometre travelled and for rolling stock downtime, we also pay for parked rolling stock that is not working and waiting for orders. We also – unlike road transport – already pay for emissions, which are included in the fees that are included in energy prices.
With coal accounting for 70% of electricity generation in our country, these are significant amounts. If we are to be competitive, if we are to promote so-called green transport, it is necessary to level the playing field.
Agnieszka Wasilewska-Semail
Chairman of the Board of PKP CARGO S.A. in restructuring
The following people took part in the discussion panel moderated by Michał Niewiadomski from the Energy Club:
- Dr Alan Beroud, Chairman of the Board of PKP S.A,
- Agnieszka Wasilewska-Semail, Chairman of the Board of PKP CARGO S.A. in restructuring,
- Krzysztof Pietrzykowski, Chairman of the Board of POLREGIO,
- Dr Jakub Majewski, President of the ProKolej Foundation,
- Anna Kucińska Elżanowski & Partnerzy Law Firm.
The Polish Climate Congress is the largest business meeting in Poland concerning investments that have an impact on the achievement of climate goals. The event was an excellent opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences with industry leaders who are going through the green transformation process.
