PKP Intercity came into existence as a result of a major restructuring of the state-owned Polish railway operator
Polskie Koleje Państwowe which, in 2001, was divided up into several different companies that were operated as independent entities on a commercial basis. PKP Intercity introduced a new standard of service in the Polish rail sector. In 2006, PKP Intercity inaugurated its first modern Customer Service Centre at Warsaw Central station; one year later, the second such facility was opened in Poznan. These trainsets, each comprising seven cars, were built to PKP Intercity's individual specifications; whilst capable of attaining a maximum speed of 250 km/h, carrying up to 402 passengers, and incorporating various noise minimisation measures, they intentionally excluded the optional
tilting mechanism. On 17 November 2013, a new speed record for Polish railways was set when the Pendolino ED250 reached a speed of . Furthermore, on 24 November 2013, the final day of tests on the CMK
Central Rail Line, the Pendolino reached . On 11 September 2014, Polands's Railway Transport Office (UTK) announced that the ED250 had been certified for operation at up to 250km/h in accordance with the relevant
Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI). They are operated on existing conventional lines between major city groups such as Warsaw-Gdansk-Gdynia, Warsaw-Krakow, and Warsaw-Katowice, delivering significantly shortened journey times over traditional rolling stock, traversing the route between Warsaw and Gdansk in two and a half hours. Various other schemes were underway during the late 2010s, such as the retrofitting of
Wi-Fi apparatus throughout the various types of rolling stock to provide passengers with mobile internet access, having completed work on 171 PKP Intercity cars and 40 combined sets by August 2018. One year later, a contract valued at €247 million was issued by PKP Intercity to the Swiss rolling stock manufacturer
Stadler Rail for the manufacture and delivery of 12
Stadler FLIRT electric multiple units in an eight-car long configuration as well as a 15-year maintenance period; these feature both first class and second class compartments along with an onboard lounge bar area and accessibility adaptions for persons of reduced mobility. In 2024, PKP Intercity signed a contract with H. Cegielski – FPS for the delivery of 300 modern railroad carriages. The contract with the Polish rolling stock manufacturer is worth PLN 4.2 billion (ca. EUR 1 billion). It also covers an option for the production of additional 150 carriages, which would increase the total value of the deal to PLN 6.35 billion (EUR 1.47 billion). The new carriages will be designed to reach the speeds of 200 km/h and are expected to be delivered in 2028. They will also be authorised for operation in Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania and Slovakia. ==Operations==