PKP LHS, the operator and manager of the Polish Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa (LHS) line, has billed protesting farmers over a million Polish złoty for blocking its tracks. Polish farmers are protesting the import and transit of Ukrainian agricultural products. They have been blocking various types of infrastructure, but PKP LHS is now hitting back.
PKP LHS operates and manages the LHS line that stretches nearly 400 kilometres from the Ukrainian border to Katowice in southern Poland. The line facilitates the transit of Ukrainian grain through Poland, prompting Polish farmers to block the tracks. They intended to block the tracks for three weeks.
Ahead of the protest, an organiser stated that the location of the blockade was particularly sensitive, as it leads to a rail terminal. He also expressed hope that the demonstrators will be able to block all tracks leading to Ukraine.
The rail operator responds
PKP LHS decided to respond to the blockade of its tracks. ‘These completely unjustified and highly harmful actions for our company and our partners caused significant financial losses on the first day, exposed us to customer claims and damaged our image,’ said PKP LHS in a letter to the farmers.
Besides verbal disapproval, the rail operator and manager sent a bill alongside the letter: 1,3 million Polish złoty (approximately 300,000 euros) to be paid by the organisation of the protests. The farmers prevented various trains from passing along the tracks or arriving at the nearby rail terminal, causing PKP LHS to incur those losses.
‘Farmers are intimidated’
At the same time, a lawyer supporting the farmers argues that the bill from PKP LHS is unlawful. According to Farmer.pl, the lawyer cites an earlier court ruling to support that argument. They also point out that the protest was sanctioned, and therefore the railway was closed off by the local government.
As the police were not present at the protest, farmers say that they themselves feel intimidated by PKP LHS. ‘It is the railway that poses a threat to farmers by not complying with the closure of the [rail] section from traffic. Let’s not turn it around! You have to have some nerve to attack a farmer who is legally protesting as a state-owned company! This is weird!’
Ukrainian goods
The independent agricultural trade union ‘Solidarity’ earlier announced a renewal and escalation of the farmers’ protests. Since 20 February, farmers have been trying to block the inflow of Ukrainian goods into Poland completely. Farmers aim to block all border crossings, rail hubs, seaports and other transport hubs.
Poland already banned the import of grain and several other Ukrainian products after earlier protests in 2023 but continues to allow its transit. Regardless, Polish farmers remain concerned about the import of other incoming agricultural products, such as poultry and sugar. According to the Solidarity trade union, the renewed blockades are a reaction to the ‘passivity of the Polish authorities’.
Meanwhile, Polish truckers have also announced a restart of their protest activities from 1 March. Much like the farmers, they are concerned about competition from their Ukrainian counterparts and subsequently organised border blockades. The EU has scrapped the need for Ukrainian truckers to obtain special permits to work in EU member states in order to boost Ukraine’s exports during wartime. The truckers want to reinstate the need for a permit for Ukrainian truckers.
RailFreight Summit 2024
Are you interested in learning more about the Polish rail freight market, its performance and significance for the broader CEE region and the best practices adopted to tackle current challenges? Then the RailFreight Summit 2024, taking place between 15 and 17 April in Warsaw, Poland, is the perfect occasion to get in touch with industry professionals and dive deeper into the topic.
This year’s edition of the RailFreight Summit turns the spotlight on trending issues like the TEN-T expansion, connections with Ukraine, significant projects like RailBaltica and their potential for the creation of more efficient logistics corridors, Poland’s role as a logistics node and a performance assessment of intra-European and Eurasian services.
You can check the event’s programme here and secure your participation ticket here. Additionally, do not miss the chance to explore the networking and site tour possibilities that could provide excellent opportunities for boosting your business in Poland and the CEE region.
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