DB Cargo Polska

What DB Cargo Polska does

DB Cargo Polska S.A. is a Polish rail freight operator founded in 2009 and headquartered in Zabrze, Śląskie, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG through DB Cargo AG. The company provides four core transport categories: single wagons and wagon groups (including three branded line trains — SILESIA, MAZOVIA, MORAVIA — connecting Poland with Western and Southern Europe), bulk products transport (solid fuels, liquid fuels, chemicals, ores, construction materials, steel), intermodal/logistics (with specialization in automotive parts and finished vehicles), and special/oversized cargo (including wind turbine components and transformers). Supporting these are siding operations, last-mile diesel services, terminal services at the unique Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line junction in Sławków (connecting 1435mm and 1520mm gauges for CIS/China flows without wheelset changes), port operations at DB Port Szczecin (3 km quays, 150,000 TEU capacity), freight forwarding via DB Cargo Spedkol, rolling stock maintenance, sand extraction, lubricating oil laboratory testing, and commercial locomotive-simulator driver training.

The technology and asset base centers on 220 locomotives (including Siemens Vectron MS multisystem units homologated across 20 European countries, with 6.4 MW power, ETCS Baseline 3, and 160 km/h capability) and 2,820 wagons. 90% of transports are performed with electric rolling stock. Operations are integrated through the Rail Service Online (RSO) customer portal, internal order systems (EPS, CPI, ZaZa), and ISO 9001-certified maintenance processes. The group operates through four wholly-owned subsidiaries (DB Cargo Spedkol, DB Port Szczecin, Infra SILESIA, DB Cargo Czechia) and employs approximately 2,840 people.

Revenue is generated through quote-based enterprise field sales to industrial accounts in mining, energy, metallurgy, construction, automotive, and chemicals, with published freight tariffs but undisclosed unit economics. Pricing is transaction/take-rate based, with multimodal door-to-door logistics (rail, road, sea, air) across 240 destinations in 30 countries via 150 European railway terminals. Capital expenditure has been partially supported by EU co-financing (notably 51,555,000 PLN in 2018 for an intermodal fleet expansion of 95 units). Management is led by CEO Marek Staszek with Katarzyna Marciniak serving as Management Board Member for Finance.

Name

DB Cargo Polska

Legal name

DB Cargo Polska S.A.

Website

https://pl.dbcargo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

DB Cargo Polska S.A. is a Polish rail freight operator and wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG, providing single-wagon, bulk, intermodal, and special cargo transport to heavy-industry, automotive, and chemicals customers across 30 European countries via a fleet of 220 locomotives and 2,820 wagons.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rail Freight Transport

NAICS

Line-Haul Railroads (482111), Rail Transportation (4821), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851)

SIC

Railroads, Line-Haul Operating (4011), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Unit Train & Dedicated Contract Rail Services (TLADACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Automotive & Industrial Parts Transload (TLALAFAE), Power Generation & Grid Equipment Transport (Transformers, Turbines) (TLADAGAK), Project Cargo & Heavy-Lift Transload (TLALAFAL)

Keywords

• Rail freight transport
• Intermodal logistics
• Rolling stock maintenance
• Port terminal services
• Freight forwarding

Headquarters

HQ city

Zabrze , Śląskie

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Freight Rail Transport: Core rail freight transport services including single wagons, wagon groups, block trains, and intermodal transport. Revenue generated from tonnage transported, distance, and transport fees.
2. Logistic Services: Integrated logistics solutions connecting railway, road, sea and air transports. Includes door-to-door transport services, multimodal transports, terminal services, and customs handling.
3. Rolling Stock Maintenance: Comprehensive maintenance and renovation services for freight wagons and locomotives. Includes running repairs, periodical repairs, inspections, washing/cleaning services.
4. Port Services: DB Port Szczecin operations including container handling, bulk cargo, general cargo, and special/oversized cargo terminal services.
5. Freight Forwarding: Rail and car forwarding services through DB Cargo Spedkol. Complete forwarding in EU, transshipment services, customs handling.
6. Sand Extraction and Sale: Szczakowa Sand Mine operations - quartz sand for construction and mining industry, play sand with sanitary certificate. Retail sales from Bolesław outlet.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

DB Cargo Polska is a leading rail freight operator in Poland providing integrated transport-logistic solutions for industrial clients. The company operates single wagon, wagon group, block train, and intermodal services across Poland and Europe, supported by a fleet of 220 locomotives and 2,820 wagons, the Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line terminal at Sławków, and DB Port Szczecin for container, bulk, and special cargo handling.

Product overview

DB Cargo Polska operates as a leading rail freight transport provider in Poland, offering a comprehensive logistics service portfolio built around its core rail transport capabilities. The company provides four main transport categories: Single Wagons and Wagon Groups (featuring three branded line trains: SILESIA, MAZOVIA, and MORAVIA), Bulk Products Transport, Intermodal/Logistics services, and Special Cargo transport. Supporting the core transport operations, the company offers complementary services including siding operations (comprehensive siding services, last mile delivery, and carburizing device maintenance), logistics services with access to 150 terminals across Europe, rolling stock maintenance, terminal services at Sławków, port services at DB Port Szczecin, freight forwarding, sand extraction, and laboratory oil testing. Additional offerings include commercial train driver training using a mobile locomotive simulator and the Rail Service Online (RSO) customer portal for order management. The company is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn's DB Cargo AG, operating in partnership with sister companies DB Cargo Spedkol, DB Port Szczecin, Infra SILESIA, and DB Cargo Czechia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DB Cargo: European rail freight network brand under Deutsche Bahn Group
• Line Trains (SILESIA, MAZOVIA, MORAVIA)
• DB Cargo Spedkol
• DB Port Szczecin
• Infra SILESIA

Products and services

• Single Wagons and Wagon Groups Transports Rail freight transport for single wagons and wagon groups with regular scheduled connections between Poland and Western/Southern Europe, including three branded line train products (SILESIA, MAZOVIA, MORAVIA). Targeted at enterprise shippers requiring reliable wagon-load freight services.
• Transports of Bulk Products Full train set (block train) rail transport services for bulk commodities including solid fuels, liquid fuels, chemicals, mineral resources, construction materials, steel products, and timber for national and international markets. Targeted at mining, energy, metallurgy, and construction industrial customers.
• Intermodal / Logistics Customized intermodal logistics solutions combining rail, road, and sea transports for containerized freight, with specialization in automotive industry logistics including cars and car parts transportation. Connects Baltic coast container terminals with distribution terminals in southern Poland.
• Transport of Special Cargo Transport of special and oversize cargo including wind turbine components, complex constructions, and transformers. Service includes individual logistics conception, optimal route selection, permit acquisition, loading/unloading plan design, cargo protection, and customs documentation. Targeted at industrial customers with heavy lift needs.
• Comprehensive Siding Services Complete management and operation of private railway sidings including shunting, traffic post operations, regulation creation, safety certification, rolling stock maintenance, and railway infrastructure diagnostics. Targeted at industrial customers with private rail sidings.
• Last Mile Service Delivery of cargo to loading places via diesel locomotives on non-electrified lines, shunting services on terminals and sidings, and transshipment services for completing door-to-door transport.
• Logistic Services Customized transport-logistic solutions connecting railway, road, sea, and air transports with access to 150 railway terminals enabling operations to 240 destinations in 30 countries, including door-to-door services across national and international operations.
• Maintenance Services Comprehensive maintenance and renovation of freight wagons (classes E, F, R, S, H, Z) and locomotives (diesel and electric), including running and periodical repairs, with over 800 qualified employees. Targeted at rail operators needing rolling stock servicing.
• Terminal Services Rail transport services at the Sławków terminal on the western end of the Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line, including customs treatments, transshipments, liquid chemical product handling, and weighing services. Connects 1435mm standard gauge and 1520mm broad gauge tracks.
• Port Services (DB Port Szczecin) Port operations at DB Port Szczecin including 3 km of quays, 50,000 m2 of storage yards, container terminal (150,000 TEU reloading capacity, 5,000 TEU storage), bulk terminal, general cargo terminal, and special/oversized cargo terminal. Container and Warehouse Management IT systems, fast customs clearance, NCAGE code.
• Freight Forwarding Services Complete forwarding services in EU for all goods groups including solid fuels, steel products, biomass, palletized products, liquid chemical substances, hazardous goods, and oversize cargo via DB Cargo Spedkol subsidiary. Includes transshipment services and customs handling.
• Sand Extraction and Sale Quartz sand extraction and sale operations at Szczakowa Sand Mine, the largest producer in Poland for the construction and mining industry, including play sand with sanitary certification. Retail sales from Bolesław outlet.
• Laboratory Tests of Lubricating Oils Engine oil condition monitoring and laboratory testing services to check oil condition after use and verify declared mileage between changes, supported by Quality Management System compliant with EN ISO 9001.
• Commercial Train Driver Training (Mobile Locomotive Simulator) Commercial training services for train drivers using a mobile, full-range locomotive simulator with 6DoF motion platform based on the X4EC Siemens Vectron locomotive, the only such facility in Poland. Includes an immersion cabin reflecting locomotive movements in six planes. Targeted at railway operators and train driver certification needs.
• Rail Service Online (RSO) Customer Portal Self-service customer portal for entering freight dispatches, wagon data, and load information. Order numbers reflected in internal EPS, CPI, and ZaZa systems with continuous status updates and automatic invoicing. Targeted at enterprise customers for digital order management.

Quantifiable outcome

• 68 million tonnes of commodities transported annually in European DB Cargo wagon network
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Rail Freight ForwardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2018Coalition of railway federations and railway undertakings from across Europe. DB Cargo Polska joined during Katowice Climate Change Conference, committing to the common declaration of 290 million tons of CO2 emissions savings in the next decade.
• Centre for EU Transport Projects (CUPT)coreOthersEU funding partner for intermodal transport project. Vectron locomotives purchased with support of EU funds under project 'Improving intermodal transport in Poland'.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Rail Cargo Group (RCG): Austrian state rail freight group (formerly \u00d6BB Rail Cargo) operating across Central/Eastern Europe with overlapping single-wagon, block train, and intermodal offerings. Larger and broader geographic scope than DB Cargo Polska but comparable service model and customer segments.
• SBB Cargo: Swiss national rail freight operator with strong intermodal and single-wagon capabilities. Comparable European rail freight service model with similar focus on modal shift from road to rail and comprehensive B2B logistics services, though focused on Alpine corridors.

Direct peers

• Captrain Polska: Polish rail freight subsidiary of Captrain (SNCF Group), competing directly in single-wagon, bulk, and intermodal segments. Targets similar industrial customers and cross-border European flows; comparable fleet and terminal-based service model.
• PKP Cargo: Poland's largest rail freight operator and DB Cargo Polska's primary domestic competitor. Both serve mining, metallurgy, chemical, and intermodal customers across Poland with similar product offerings including single wagons, block trains, and intermodal services. PKP Cargo's ~30% Polish rail freight share makes it the most direct comparable.
• CTL Logistics: Polish private rail freight and intermodal operator serving automotive, chemical, and container customers. Operates comparable wagon and locomotive fleet with focus on intermodal terminals in southern Poland, directly competing for similar industrial volumes.
• DB Cargo Czechia: Sister company under DB Cargo AG operating cross-border rail freight between Czechia and Poland. Shares the same parent, Vectron MS locomotive platform, and customer base, making it the most operationally comparable peer and immediate cross-border partner/competitor.
• PKP LHS (Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa): Polish state-owned operator of the 1520mm Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line directly feeding into DB Cargo Polska's S\u0142awk\u00f3w transshipment terminal. Operates heavy bulk freight (iron ore, coal, steel) on the same broad gauge infrastructure, making it a direct rail freight peer and complementary infrastructure partner.

Regional players

• LTG Cargo: Lithuanian national rail freight operator with broad gauge (1520mm) operations in the Baltics. Comparable in operating broad gauge heavy haul, intermodal, and bulk services, though primarily serving Lithuanian/FSU flows rather than Polish/Central European lanes.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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• Instagraminstagram.com/dbcargopolska

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DB Cargo Polska