In mid-October, the Rail Baltica Estonia Business Network (RBBN) organised a study visit for its members and partners to Warsaw, the capital of the Republic of Poland. The trip provided valuable insights into recent developments in one of Central Europe’s most important economic hubs, with a focus on infrastructure and transport.
More than 15 entrepreneurs and partners belonging to the business network took part in the study visit. As part of the three-day programme, participants listened to presentations on Poland’s political and economic developments and met with Estonia’s Ambassador to Poland, Mr. Miko Haljas.
Members of the business network were introduced to the plans for the CPK (Centralny Port Komunikacyjny) – set to become Central Europe’s largest transport hub. The scale of the project was impressive: over the next five years, Poland plans to invest nearly 30 billion euros in a new international airport, new high-speed rail connections, and other infrastructure projects. The delegation was hosted by Maciej Kaczorek, Member of the Management Board and Director of Development and Strategy at PKP PLK, Poland’s national railway infrastructure manager. PKP PLK representatives showed great interest in the progress of the Rail Baltica project in Estonia, an overview of which was presented by Taavi Laja, Member of the Management Board of Rail Baltic Estonia.
RBBN, in cooperation with the leading international law firm CMS, organised a networking event for the firm’s infrastructure clients and members of the business delegation at CMS’s offices located in Warsaw’s tallest office building. During the seminar, participants also received an overview of Poland’s major infrastructure projects and the specifics of doing business in the country.
A major highlight of the trip was the business seminar organised jointly with the Polish Chamber of Commerce for Land Transport (IGTL), which brought together around 50 entrepreneurs. In addition to updates on the development of the Rail Baltica project in Estonia, participants heard a presentation from Stephen Archer, CEO of rail freight company Baltic Rail, who shared practical insights on operating in the Polish rail market and discussed future trends in freight transport across Central Europe.
According to Sven Pertens, Chairman of the Management Board of AS TREV-2, who took part in the business delegation, Estonian companies gained a clear understanding that Poland considers the diverse development of its transport infrastructure a national priority and is ready to make significant financial investments. “We also received confirmation that the construction of the Rail Baltica railway connection in the Baltic States is important for Poland as well, as it creates new logistics opportunities for freight transport,” Pertens said. “Together with the TREV-2 team, we met representatives of several companies of interest to us at both the business seminar and the networking event — companies with whom future cooperation may be possible, both on infrastructure projects in Poland and on the Rail Baltica route in Estonia,” he added.
