Summary:

Transport is currently one of the most important aspects of socio-economic life. It satisfies the basic needs of society and plays a key role in the functioning of the global economy. The aim of the study was to provide a general overview of transport in Poland and to present the volume and structure of the main branches of land transport, including road and rail transport, in the years 2019-2023. The study also aimed to examine the impact of the pandemic, Russia's aggression against Ukraine, and economic challenges on road and rail transport in terms of overall performance, territorial scope, foreign trade (exports and imports), and cargo structure. Polish road and rail transport in the period 2019-2023 was affected by three major crises. The first occurred in 2020, when the transport sector faced restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic; the second in 2022, marked by the escalation of Russia's aggression against Ukraine; and the third in 2023, when an economic slowdown and rising inflation were observed. The results indicate that in 2019-2023, road freight transport volume was approximately eight times higher than that of rail transport. In road transport, the most frequently carried goods were metal ores and other mining and metallurgical products, whereas in rail transport they were hard coal and lignite, as well as crude oil and natural gas. In the analyzed period, imports by rail were nearly four times higher than those by road, while exports were approximately twice as high.