A Pendolino train reached 253 km/h during tests carried out on Poland’s Central Line, ahead of the introduction of commercial services at 250 km/h in December 2027. The increase in speed will reduce the journey time between Warsaw and Kraków to less than two hours, and the Polish authorities say this is just the first step towards trains travelling at 320 km/h and even faster.
Poland is preparing to introduce trains travelling at 250 km/h into commercial service for the first time, after a Pendolino operated by the state-owned company PKP Intercity reached 253 km/h during tests carried out on the Central Line, one of the country’s main railway routes.
The tests were carried out overnight and focused in particular on the operation of the GSM-R (Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway) communications system at very high speeds.
The railway infrastructure manager, PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe (PKP PLK), announced that the tests had been successfully completed and represent an important step towards authorising regular services at 250 km/h.
“Polish railways are picking up speed – and 250 km/h is just the beginning,” said the Minister for Infrastructure, Dariusz Klimczak.
Trains travelling at 250 km/h from December 2027
The first commercial services at this speed are scheduled for the 2027–2028 timetable, which comes into effect in December 2027.
The 250 km/h speed will be available on approximately 180 km of the Central Railway Line (Centralna Magistrala Kolejowa – CMK), which forms the main high-speed rail link between the Warsaw area and southern Poland.
The CMK is approximately 223 km long and is used by trains connecting the capital with cities such as Kraków, Katowice and Wrocław.
However, not all sections will allow speeds of 250 km/h; speeds will remain lower on certain parts of the route.
Warsaw–Kraków in less than two hours
The main benefit for passengers will be a significant reduction in journey times.
The journey between Warsaw and Kraków is expected to be reduced to approximately one hour and 55 minutes, compared with around two hours and 45 minutes at present.
The journey between Warsaw and Katowice will also become faster, with journey times set to fall to one hour and 54 minutes.
On the Warsaw–Wrocław route, the fastest trains are expected to take around three hours, compared with three and a half hours at present.
Maciej Kaczorek, a member of PKP PLK’s management, described reaching a speed of 250 km/h as a “very important moment for the Polish railways”.
Pendolino has been capable of 250 km/h for over a decade
The Pendolino trains, built by the French manufacturer Alstom, have been operating in Poland since 2014.
The trains are designed for a maximum speed of 250 km/h, but until now the maximum permitted commercial speed in Poland has remained at 200 km/h.
Pendolino trains are used on some of the main Intercity routes, between Warsaw and Kraków, Katowice, Wrocław and the Trójmiasto conurbation, comprising Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot.
Deputy Minister for Infrastructure Piotr Malepszak admitted that adapting the network for regular operation at 250 km/h “took too long”.
The Polish record remains at 293 km/h
However, the 253 km/h achieved now does not represent Poland’s rail record.
In 2013, before the Pendolino was introduced into commercial service, one of the trains reached 293 km/h, also during tests carried out on the Central Line.
The difference is that the current tests are not aimed at setting a record, but at preparing the infrastructure and safety systems for regular operation at 250 km/h with passengers on board.
Next target: 320 km/h
Poland’s plans, however, extend far beyond the current Central Line.
The authorities are preparing a network of high-speed lines on which trains will be able to travel at up to 320 km/h, with approximately 2,700 km of infrastructure planned for such speeds.
In December 2025, the national operator PKP Intercity also launched a tender for the purchase of 20 trains capable of reaching 320 km/h.
The new trains will also be used on the future lines linked to the major transport hub Port Polska, currently under development west of Warsaw.
In the longer term, the authorities are even discussing operating certain sections at 350 km/h.
More and more Poles are choosing to travel by train
The increase in speeds comes at a time when passenger rail transport in Poland is experiencing strong growth.
In the first six months of 2026, PKP Intercity carried 44.7 million passengers, a new record for the operator.
This figure is over 10 per cent higher than the record set in the same period last year and approximately 45 per cent higher than the level three years ago.
The introduction of a commercial speed of 250 km/h in December 2027 will thus mark the next stage in the development of Polish rail transport, ahead of the planned transition to a network built for 320 km/h.
Share on: 
