The Polish logistics and transport industry witnessed dynamic growth in 2010-2011 and H1/2012, fuelled by the preparations for to the Euro2012 soccer championship. In the second half of 2012, however, as such investments ended, the market started to feel the effects of the economic slowdown. This reflected on full-year performance indicators of the sector.

Transport service revenues inched up by 6.1% year on year in 2012, backed by the 13.9% year on year rise of revenues in the road transport, which accounted for the highest share of the market last year. The gross value added in transportation and storage advanced by 7.9% year on year in 2012, decelerating from the 12.1% year on year growth in 2011.

Freight transportation slipped in the negative area in 2012, when volumes declined by 3.6% year on year, compared to the 6.5% year on year advance in 2011. Transport of goods recorded annual decline in all means of transportation, with the steepest drop in the category of inland waterway and air transport.

Nonetheless, despite the decline in freight volume transported in 2012, in terms of performance, freight transport remained in the positive area. In 2012, the transport performance amounted to 327.3bn tonne-kilometres, up by 2.8% year on year. The advance was propped by the 6.6% year on year rise of road transport, as in all other types of transportation performance declined on an annual basis.

The transport of passengers continued overall annual decline last year, mostly on the decrease recorded by the main means of transport- road, as air, maritime and rail segments witnessed year on year growth in 2012.

The transport and logistics sector will face a challenging market environment this year. The large-scale infrastructure investments, which hiked in the past years, ahead of the Euro 2012 soccer championship, are expected to slow down. The activity in the sector will definitely continue, but the new investments’ potential is unlikely to match a comparable level to the projects implemented in 2010 and 2011.