Inland waterway transport in Poland – the current state and prospects for development

The dynamic development of road transport has caused an imbalance in transport systems. For the balance of the transport system, an increasingly important role should be played by networks such as railways and inland waterways, which, due to ecological aspects and minimal participation in the generation of external costs, are the most socially friendly. The layout and length of inland waterways in Poland has remained at a similar level for years. The specificity of the waterway infrastructure influences the factors that shape the demand for transportation by inland waterways. The navigation conditions impact directly the main design parameters of the ships used for transportation on inland waterways, including the relatively small carrying capacity of the barges, as well as the volume of traffic. An inadequate development of navigable waterways in Poland, concerning both natural elements (channeled rivers, free-flowing channels) and shipping parameters (discharge dimensions, depth and width of the trail, height of bridges), affects the specificity of inland navigation and relegates it to a marginal role in the Polish transport system. The share of inland waterway transport for total freight decreased from 0.8% to 0.4% between the years 2000 and 2014. The aim of this article is to draw attention to the fact that inland shipping services, in the transport market, are sufficient to determine the existence of waterways. All other factors only stimulate or restrict its place in the transport system. The preferential use of natural waterways is the essential limitation which restricts their adaptation to the changing transport needs. Thus, the density of waterways is much lower compared to other transport networks and the development of potential inland waterway transport is primarily determined by the quality and spatial arrangement of the existing waterways.