PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL celebrates its 70th anniversary

PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL, a member of the PKP CARGO Group, the leading logistics operator in Europe, is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.

This year marks exactly 70 years since the decree of the Ministry of Fuels and Energy of 1 January 1952 established the Ostravskokarvinský revír, doprava (OKR – Doprava) company. Let us recall important milestones in the life of PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL.

OKR – Doprava was established in order to ensure the organizational and professional administration and maintenance of the district’s lines, especially the operation of railway transport for the Mining Railway. Other integral activities associated with the railway were the maintenance and repair of the district’s railway lines. In 1955, the Mining Railway opened up to freight transport.

The privatization of the company in January 1994 resulted in the establishment of OKD, Doprava, which smoothly continued the tradition of transport on the Mining Railway. A year later, the company obtained a license to operate rail transport on the public transport railway and was thus able to undertake transport outside the Ostrava-Karviná district.

Another turning point occurred in 2004 when the first cross-border train transport from the Czech Republic to Poland took place, and three years later the container terminal in Paskov was put into operation, which is now a key transit point for intermodal transport in Europe.

In 2007, OKD, Doprava became a member of the international New World Resources Transportation group based in Amsterdam. The next steps were the acquisition of VIAMONT Cargo in 2008 and a year later OKD-Rekultivace, which was later renamed AWT Rekultivace and continues to operate to this day in the Group under that name.

In 2010, the company’s name was changed from OKD, Doprava to Advanced World Transport, and the entire group began operating under the new AWT brand.

A significant milestone was 2015, when Advanced World Transport (AWT) became a member of the PKP CARGO Group, the leading logistics operator and railway carrier in the EU. In 2019, the name of AWT was changed to PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL. The new common name for all the Group’s companies – PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL – is intended to better reflect their presence on the international market and their close relationship to PKP CARGO Group.

“The PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL Group has its roots in traditional and reputable companies, which endows it with extensive know-how, based on 70 years of experience and the trust of its customers. In recent decades, these companies have not only been part of significant changes in freight transport, but very often the engine behind them, whether it involves the construction and development of modern railway sidings or the provision of combined transport. The greatest wealth and capital of the company was and are our employees, who are behind all the success we have achieved during our rich history,” says Dariusz Seliga, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL.

“PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL is today synonymous with solid, modern and reliable rail freight and heavy-duty logistics in Central and Eastern Europe. We still perceive the Czech Republic as the heart of our business. Central and Eastern Europe is the base for our role as key partners to large local industrial companies and where we continue to grow and expand, for example to the south of Europe,” says Michal Kubíček, Member of the Board of Directors of PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL.

In a short space of time, the Group has grown to a size and extent that is respected internationally, all the while maintaining the high efficiency and flexibility of its services.

“We are convinced that railway is the best alternative to road transport for a range of commodities, such as coal, steel and car parts and our customers deserve the comprehensive and smart turnkey transport and logistics solutions that we can provide. We believe in the future of railways and combined transport and we are ready to continue leading the way in the changes that our industry needs. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all current and former employees for their work in the company and our customers for their long-term trust,” adds Dariusz Seliga.

This year, AWT Rekultivace from the PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL Group is commemorating 60 years since its founding.

Lukáš Kresač
Spokesperson
PKP CARGO INTERNATIONAL Group