Government suspends plan to consolidate cargo operators

The Polish government has decided to suspend the plan of the consolidation of cargo railway operators due to failing to reach an agreement between the ministry of infrastructure, trade unions and the ministry of the state treasury, the media reported. "After conducting an initial analysis we have decided to suspend further works towards the consolidation of the cargo railway industry," Agnieszka Jabłonska-Twaróg, the ministry of the state treasury spokeswoman admitted in the interview for Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily. "The resistance of trade unions and the ministry of infrastructure, which is in charge of railway transport was too strong. The government did not want to make a risk of any internal conflict. The decision has been made to freeze the plans of the ministry of the state treasury," the anonymous source told web portal forsal.pl. The following six companies, Lotos Kolej, Orlen Koltrans, Pol Miedź Trans and transport subsidiaries of the largest mining company, Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa, Koltar included in Grupa Azoty and Euronaft Trzebina were to be consolidated by the state-owned Industrial Development Agency (ARP). As a result, an entity with a 20 percent of market share in the Polish market would be established.