Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, currently operating under the brand Port Polska, took a significant step towards construction in December. The Centralny Port Komunikacyjny company submitted 19 applications for permits to build the passenger terminal, railway and bus stations, as well as foundation piles for the new hub. The planned terminal, covering about 450,000 m² and designed by Foster & Partners, is set to be three times the size of Chopin Airport and serve traffic from Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Scandinavia. The plan includes around 72 passenger gates, about 140 check-in desks, and over 8100 foundation piles ranging from 9 to 30 meters in length. According to the schedule, the government, represented by plenipotentiary Maciej Lasek, aims to sign the contract for terminal construction in 2026, with airport opening planned for 2032. Polskie Porty Lotnicze will play a key role as the strategic investor, expected to invest about 4.6 billion PLN by 2032 and potentially take full control of the airport. The Centralny Port Komunikacyjny company submitted 19 applications for permits to build the passenger terminal[1] The government aims to sign the contract in 2026[5] Polskie Porty Lotnicze is expected to invest about 4.6 billion PLN by 2032
Port Polska and High-Speed Rail
At the same time, the development of High-Speed Rail, set to become the backbone of access to Port Polska, is accelerating. Centralny Port Komunikacyjny announced a tender for the construction of the high-speed rail tunnel on the Warsaw–CPK–Łódź section, designated as line 85, with preparatory works begun in the Karolew district of Łódź in late December. The line, designed for speeds up to 350 km/h (operational at 320 km/h), will reduce travel time between Warsaw and Łódź from roughly 70 to 40 minutes, and eventually cut travel from Warsaw to Poznań by about 20 minutes (targeting 1 hour 40 minutes) and to Wrocław by approximately 15 minutes. The Warsaw–CPK–Łódź segment is scheduled for completion by 2032, with Łódź–Sieradz–Wrocław and Sieradz–Poznań sections by 2035. The investment coordination involves Deputy Infrastructure Minister Piotr Malepszak, working alongside the Mazovian Voivodeship Office and Łódź authorities. Increased availability of high-speed rail is expected to raise property values along the “Y” line and potentially quadruple passenger traffic in centers like Kalisz, according to forecasts by PMT. Centralny Port Komunikacyjny announced a tender for the high-speed rail tunnel construction on the Warsaw–CPK–Łódź section[7] Increased high-speed rail availability may quadruple traffic in Kalisz[9]
Digital Revolution in Documentation
At the global level, a breakthrough came with the UN General Assembly’s adoption on December 15, 2025, of the United Nations Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents. The new convention, developed over three years by UNCITRAL Working Group VI, introduces the first uniform legal standard for electronic negotiable cargo documents across all transport modes: road, rail, air, and sea. UNCITRAL (UN Commission on International Trade Law), together with the freight forwarders’ federation FIATA (International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations), established a framework enabling the use of the FIATA multimodal electronic bill of lading (FBL/eFBL) in international trade. UNCITRAL Secretary Anna Joubin-Bret and Global Shippers Forum representative James Hookham emphasize the convention’s particular significance for landlocked countries in Central Asia and Africa, easing access to trade finance and lowering transaction costs. The signing ceremony is planned for the second half of 2026 in Accra, Ghana. For Polish ports in Gdańsk and Gdynia, this creates an opportunity to increase transit between Asia and Europe, especially given the growing role of rail-sea corridors. The UN General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents[10] UNCITRAL and FIATA built the framework for the FIATA multimodal electronic bill of lading[11]
European passenger transport felt the impact of social tensions in December. On December 12, Italy announced a broad strike that paralyzed much of the national rail network, including carriers Trenitalia and Italo, regional rail such as Trenord in Lombardy, as well as metros, trams, buses, and airport services, from midnight until 9:00 p.m. Some infrastructure managed by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana was subject to an eight-hour restriction from 9:01 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The strikes arose from wage disputes and working conditions deemed unacceptable by Italian union federations. Meanwhile, in the UK, cabin crew protests at Scandinavian Airlines began in December, coordinated by the Unite the Union. Strikes scheduled between December 22–24 and 26–29, plus additional days until year’s end in specific time blocks (5 a.m. to midnight in three shifts), led to cancellations of at least 72 flights. Low wages and tight schedules signaling to carriers the urgent need for investment in personnel and labor conditions to avoid peak holiday paralysis risks. On December 12, Italy declared a broad strike that paralyzed much of the national rail network[12] Scandinavian Airlines cabin crew strikes led to cancellation of at least 72 flights[13]
Strikes and Aviation Expansion
On the domestic aviation market, Polish Airlines LOT announced an offensive. Their strategy through 2028 includes entering the Southeast Asia market by launching, from October 26, 2026, a Warsaw–Bangkok route operated five times weekly (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday). Flight time to Thailand will be about 10 hours 20 minutes, with the return flight about 11 hours 55 minutes. Ticket sales began on December 16, 2025, and market data analyzed with e. Sky.pl and the Tourism Authority of Thailand indicate growing demand in both tourism and business segments. Meanwhile, LOT is strengthening northern Poland by opening new routes from Gdańsk to Brussels, Bergen, and Oslo, stationing a permanent aircraft there. This increases competition with other European carriers and demands further fleet investments, posing risks if the global economy slows and long-haul load factors fall short of expectations. Polish Airlines LOT will launch the Warsaw–Bangkok route five times per week from October 26, 2026[15] LOT ticket sales for the Bangkok route started on December 16, 2025[16]
Ports, SAF Fuels, and Domestic Rail
Significant investments are also ongoing at maritime ports. The Baltic Hub container terminal at Port Gdańsk opened its third berth T3, increasing annual capacity from 3 million to 4.5 million TEU. The new 717-meter-long, 18-meter-deep berth, with a 36-hectare storage yard on an artificial island and equipped with 8 STS quay cranes and 28 automated RMG cranes, aims to be fully operational by the end of 2025. The approximately 2 billion PLN investment, carried out with operators PSA International from Singapore, the Polish Development Fund, and IFM Global Infrastructure Fund, strengthens Gdańsk’s position as the main Baltic transshipment hub. The first container ship, CMA CGM Tivoli, docked for trials in February 2025, with regular operations starting in June. However, further investments in rail infrastructure, including a second line to the port island, are needed to fully utilize transshipment potential from Czechia, Slovakia, Ukraine, and future high-speed rail connections. Simultaneously, the FuelEU Aviation regulation introduced a mandatory share of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) of 2% from 2025, increasing to 6% in 2030 and 70% by 2050. ORLEN announced SAF deliveries to the Baltic markets starting in Q3 2025, preparing for rising demand from airlines such as LOT, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, and Ryanair. EU regulations also require that airplanes fuel at least 90% of their supplies at EU airports, aiming to reduce so-called “tankering” practices. The Baltic Hub container terminal at Port Gdańsk increased annual capacity from 3 million to 4.5 million TEU[18] ORLEN announced SAF deliveries to the Baltic markets starting in Q3 2025[27]
Changes also affect rail travel in Poland. PKP Intercity, collaborating with the infrastructure manager PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe, decided from December 3, 2025, to extend the ticket pre-sale period for Express Intercity and Express Intercity Premium trains from 30 to 120 days. From that date, passengers could book seats up to March 7, 2026, and from February 6, 2026, ticket sales will extend to June 13, 2026. For international connections — including Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Lithuania — pre-sale can reach 180 days. Tickets are available via the PKP Intercity app, ticket offices, and the e-IC.pl service. The change should improve travel planning during holidays and vacations and help the carrier manage occupancy and prices, although it also leads to more cancellations, requiring flexible refund policies. PKP Intercity decided from December 3, 2025, to extend ticket pre-sale periods from 30 to 120 days[28]
Suez Canal and Cyber Threats
On routes between Asia and Europe, gradual normalization follows the Red Sea crisis. The carrier CMA CGM resumed regular voyages through the Suez Canal on the MEDEX route linking India, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean basin. The first vessel departed Mundra port on June 7, 2025, arriving in Suez on June 28. Subsequent ships included CMA CGM Nabucco (July 5) and CMA CGM Titus (July 12). The service employs 10 ships with capacities between 6,000 and 10,000 TEU in a ten-week cycle, calling ports in Abu Dhabi, Jebel Ali, Colombo, Piraeus, Genoa, and Barcelona. Returning to the Suez Canal cuts voyages by up to 10 days and over 3,000 nautical miles compared to circumnavigating Africa, significantly impacting fuel costs and freight prices. Suez Canal Authority data, led by Admiral Ossama Rabiee, show CMA CGM accounted for about 19% of total TEU volume handled in the canal by December 2025. Other global lines like Maersk and MSC remain cautious, with BIMCO forecasting full shipping normalization only in 2026 due to risks of further attacks in the Red Sea region.
Alongside physical infrastructure, digital security grows in importance. In megatrends research for the transport, forwarding, and logistics sector, cybersecurity ranked 6th with 64% of mentions. About 35% of TSL companies reported experiencing cyberattacks in recent years, with the number of incidents rising roughly 50% between 2020 and 2023. Over half of reported events are phishing attacks enabling breaches of warehouse, port, and rail systems. Since 2019, over 5,000 patents related to digital protection in logistics have been registered, reflecting investments by software producers and solution providers like Bitkom and BVL. Regulators—including the US CISA, Polish Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection overseeing systems, and the European Commission with NIS2 directive—impose obligations on companies for security measures, audits, and incident reporting. Forecasts predict that by 2035 about 45% of supply chains will operate largely autonomously, heightening vulnerability to digital disruptions and driving further IT budget increases and staff training. This topic featured prominently at Transport Logistic Munich 2025, where industry bodies such as FIATA, EASA, and BIMCO discussed protection standards in ports, airports, and logistics centers. Cybersecurity ranked 6th in transport megatrends research[33] Transport cyberattack incidents increased by about 50% from 2020 to 2023[34] Regulators impose obligations on companies regarding security measures, audits, and incident reporting[35]