During the Communist era the transport system was underdeveloped but since 1989 investment has been made in the infrastructure and vast improvements have been made. European Union funding has helped to make this possible. Many motorways and expressways are still being built but they will be finished in time for the Euro 2012 football tournament.
Airports around the country are also being renovated and updated for the football tournament. The most important airport is Warsaw, which handles over 8 million passengers per year. There are a total of 123 airports in Poland.
Ports on the Baltic Sea coast operate passenger ferries to Scandinavia. Boat transport is also very important on Poland’s extensive network of rivers and canals.
The railway system is denser in the north and west of the country. Trains are run by the national PKP conglomerate, the fourth largest train company in Europe. There are also private narrow gauge railways that act as tourist attractions. Warsaw is the only city with a metro system.
