The EU funds, especially as part of the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Programme 2007-2013 provided an opportunity to put an end to the degradation of rail infrastructure. That opportunity was not fully used, though, mainly because of the delays. The delays mostly resulted from errors in pre-design-, design- and as-built documentation. They were also related to the need to do extra works that had not been envisaged at the stage of commissioning works. Yet another reason was improper coordination of works by PLK units.
The NIK audit revealed that problems had appeared already at the stage of developing strategic documents related to construction of the rail infrastructure. The Council of Ministers adopted the Master Plan for Rail Transport in Poland until 2030 one year after the decision of the European Commission concerning the Operational Programme was taken. The Long-term Railway Investment Programme by 2013 with a perspective until 2015 was accepted only after 4 years.
In line with the Long-term Programme the funds for railway investments should total PLN 19.2 billion, including PLN 13.7 billion as part of the Operational Programme and PLN 1.5 billion from regional operational programmes. According to NIK, the rail infrastructure manager being the Polish Railway Lines company [PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe SA (PLK)] is not sufficiently prepared for timely execution of investments, both in terms of its organisation and personnel. PLK had some difficulties obtaining funds as part of the Operational Programme. They were primarily related to the absence of the national contribution (this is the money from the state budget, Railway Fund and own funds of PLK) in required amounts and by specific deadlines. At this point NIK indicates that the owner supervision exercised by the minister responsible for transport over the functioning of PLK was insufficient.
NIK underlines that in case the national contribution is not provided in full, there is a risk that the projects specified in the Long-term Investment Programme will not be implemented. As a consequence, Poland may lose some of the EU funds. Our country will also have to complete the already started investments by financing them from its own money.
Irrespective of insufficient funds for the investment financing as part of the Operational Programme, PLK is not properly prepared to use the EU funds in an efficient way. In the middle of the execution period of the Long-term Investment Programme, agreements to finance 18 of 32 planned tasks totalling nearly PLN 6 billion were not signed. It resulted among others from changes in projects, improperly prepared documents essential to obtain administrative permits or delays in tender procedures. As a result, an average time from submitting documents to signing the financing agreement was 383 days. Besides, PLK had no back-up projects in place, in case some difficulties with performing on-going tasks occurred.
