Local railway connections in the national transportation system – proposed solutions to make them significant for passenger and freight transport

In the article, the author discusses the issue of the importance of local railway lines, which still form a significant part of the Polish rail network. The socio-economic problems of the transformation years led to the closure of many local railway lines after 1990. This deformed the transportation system of the country and in consequence the road transport are becoming dominant. The author presents the arguments for and against the liquidation of local railway lines and proposes new methodological solutions for the assessment of the importance and functioning of local railways in Poland.