Tripe soup and bitter coffee on a communist-era Polish train

Trainspotters jostled on platform 2 as sunshine lit the polished olive-green carriages of the 11:07 from Warszawa Główna to Poznań. A man in a bow tie and braces beat me to the steps; excitement was palpable because this was no ordinary service but a throwback event.

The Polish parliament had declared 2026 the Year of Polish Railways, and to mark a double jubilee — the 25th anniversary of PKP Intercity and the centenary of Polish state railways — a series of retro journeys called Nieśpieszny (“Unhurried”) has been launched.

On board I settled into a marmalade-coloured six-seater compartment with armchair-like seats and a sociable air; nobody was rushing. The unhurried route took about five hours compared with just over two on a faster service, and the busy dining car drew me with the smell of fried sausages.

Poland, Warszawa, Poznań

polish railways, pkp intercity, nieśpieszny, warszawa główna, poznań, retro train, communist era, tripe soup, bitter coffee, dining car