Warka station, dawn and dusk

Poland's rail renaissance is an ongoing work in progress. According to my old 1999 railway timetable, it would take 31 minutes to get to Chynów to Jeziorki then. Today, it's down to 23 minutes. Fast, modern, comfortable trains running along modernised track make local journeys a pleasure. Major delays can still happen, but they're less frequent; there's less stress, and apps make ticket buying easy.

Travel between cities is shifting away from the car and short-hop flights as people start to understand the environmental consequences of their choices, plus the convenience and comfort that trains offer. You can work on a train, and (assuming modern units) enjoy a freshly cooked meal on a china plate with steel cutlery and a craft beer or espresso doppio as the landscape zooms by.

All in all, passengers are returning to rail travel, not only after Covid, but as a long-term trend. In 2022, rail passenger numbers in Poland exceeded those in 2019, and were indeed higher than in any year this century (342 million, up from a nadir of 257 million in 2005). 

But this is a work in progress. It is patchy; some lines are better than others. Warsaw to Kraków can take 2hrs 13mins via Idzikowice (the fully-upgraded CMK route, 293km) or 3hrs 51 mins via Radom and Kielce (322km).

Now, for me, a trip to Kraków from Chynów either means taking a local train into Warsaw, changing at Warsaw West Platform 9 and taking a 20-minute walk to Warsaw West Platforms 1-8 to catch the fast InterCity train, or taking a local train down to Warka and catching the slower InterCity service via Radom. The former arrives at Kraków Główny at 08:58, the latter at 09:16, just 18 minutes later. The latter journey is easier and with a less stressful interchange, although it means an 05:31 departure from Chynów (the former leaves at 05:37). Again, hardly anything in it.

And so I wake at 04:30, eat, shower, dress, leave at 05:15, catch the 05:31 Koleje Mazowieckie train from Chynów to Warka (on time); I catch the 06:11 InterCity train from Warka to Kraków (on time), head straight to the restaurant car where I order a large black coffee, scrambled eggs with ham, chives, tomatoes, rye bread and butter and an orange juice. And watch the sun rise over the Pilica river.

Below: my train arrives on time at Warka station on the right-hand platform; to the left is a Warsaw-bound service that starts in Warka, getting ready to depart.

Below: with over 20 minutes before my InterCity train arrives, I have time to take a look at the west side of the tracks - a new footpath/cyclepath has been built, where once a muddy track through long grass was the only way between the station and ulica Grójecka.

At five past six, another Warsaw-bound local service, this one from Radom, passes Warka; I watch it disappear northward towards the next stop, the rural halt at Gośniewice. As it does so, the lights of the Kraków-bound Karłowicz express come into view round the bend. My train reaches Warka on time.

Below: I rush to the restaurant car - but there are no crowds. The chef is in the galley, preparing my excellent breakfast (45zł - £8.50) By the time the train arrives in Radom, the restaurant begins to gather clientele. 

Whereas the line has been fully modernised as far as Radom, beyond - and this is the main part of the journey - the tracks are not in the best of shape. The display in the carriage shows the average speed to be around 60km/h (after blasting along at up to 160km/h to Radom). Things will improve - the stretch from Radom to Skarżysko-Kamienna is currently being modernised. Anyway, slowly but surely, the train reaches Kraków, again, on time. 

In Kraków, it's raining - heavily. Fortunately, the event I'm moderating is just across the road from the shopping mall which straddles Kraków Główny station. The event finishes - it's still raining heavily. So despite having an hour and half free time, there's no possibility for a walk, other than a stroll around the mall. The usual parade of vacuous vanity. Anyway, at 15:39 the Orłowicz InterCity express to Warsaw (via Kielce, Radom and Warka) leaves, on time.

Below: I reach Warka five minutes behind schedule - not bad, given that the train crawled stop-start into Radom, managing to claw back 15 minutes by racing along the modernised stretch of track north of Radom.

Below: looking at Warka station after sunset. The nearest track has no platform, it allows express trains and goods trains to pass through.

Below: "Pociąg kończy bieg." ("Train terminates here.") Once empty, this Koleje Mazowieckie train pulls out of the 'up' platform to be stabled in a siding north of the station. 

My train to Chynów is also on time (19:17), 13 minutes later I'm there, and at quarter to eight I'm home. All has gone to plan. Abandon your cars, motorists! Let the train take the strain/this is the age of the train.

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