The company's history since 2001
On 1st July 2001, the company commenced its operations with a completely new organizational structure and legal form: “PKP” Polish National Railway Warsaw Commuter Rail Limited Liability Company (WKD) that constitutes, under the law on restructuring the Polish State Railways, a subsidiary of the newly established the “PKP” Polish National Railway Capital Group.
In accordance with the specific timetable for the WKD restructuring process, the next step following the establishment a separate company was to sell it. As a result of a tender procedure conducted by “PKP” Polish National Railway S.A. [joint-stock company], the most serious bidders were: "Polski Express" operating on the market of domestic long-distance bus routes and the Local Government Consortium (pl. Konsorcjum Samorządowe). The new investor was to incur the expenditure related to the purchase of new rolling stock, infrastructure modernization and expansion as well as new technologies in management, service and sale of services.
In order to strengthen the position of local governments in the ongoing negotiations, on 29th August 2004, the Marshall Office of Mazovian Voivodeship handed over a modern electric multiple unit EN95 series (13WE was the factory marking), purchased with the Office’s own funds, for the Company’s use.
Eventually, the Local Government Consortium was the successful bidder for the shares in “PKP” Polish National Railway WKD Ltd shares under the tender procedure conducted by “PKP” Polish National Railway S.A. [joint-stock company]. The Consortium consisted of the Regional Government of Mazovian Voivodeship, the Municipal Office of Warsaw Capital City and six municipalities situated on the WKD rail line routes. In consequence, on 29th December 2004, a draft agreement between “PKP” Polish National Railways S.A. [joint-stock company] and the Consortium for the sale of all the shares held in the company was initialled. The agreement for the sale of the shares was signed by all the stakeholders on 30th September 2005. The transfer of shares was intended to be completed upon fulfilment of certain conditions, which eventually was completed on 27th September 2007. The WKD shares were subscribed by the Regional Government of Mazovian Voivodeship that took up the total of 73 % of shares (in the capacity of the legal successor of the Capital City of Warsaw in terms of liabilities ) and 6 municipalities situated along the rail lines took up the remaining 27 % of the shares. From now on the number of the company’s stockholders has remained unchanged, nevertheless, due to the successive increase in the paid-in capital of the company, the Regional Government of Mazovian Voivodeship has already acquired the total number of shares exceeding 95 % of the paid-in capital.
The immediate consequence of the fact that Warsaw Commuter Railway (WKD) had left the “PKP” Polish National Railway Capital Group and that it had been taken over by municipalities was the change of the company’s name into "Warsaw Commuter Railway Ltd" (WKD, having deleted the abbreviation "PKP"), which took effect on 13th August 2008.
A steady increase in the number of passengers and higher revenues arising from this fact as well as a close cooperation with municipalities allow to plan further sustainable development. Thanks to a long-term framework agreement regarding the funding sources for passenger rail transport services, numerous modernization projects have been undertaken in relation to the rolling stock and railway infrastructure.
