Suburban Rail in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship as a Factor Stimulating the Development in the Region

Over the last few years, there has been a clear increase in interest in railtransport among local authorities, especially the agglomeration rail. A particularemphasis in this respect is being observed in large agglomerations and the surroundingsuburban areas, where transport problems are becoming increasingly frequent. The factthat the number of passengers of agglomeration and regional railways in Poland isgrowing gives a positive overtone to the issue in question. The project of creating asystem of Suburban Rail in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship is to significantly affect thedevelopment of the region. A reduction in commute time, the improvement of the transportoffer and the increase in the accessibility to rail transport in Rzeszów area and thusthe improvement of mobility of the society are some of the advantages of the investment.The project will encompass municipalities located within railway lines running fromDębica to Przeworsk and from Kolbuszowa to Strzyżów. The aim of the article is topresent general assumptions of the project and to estimate the benefits resulting fromthe project for the region and its inhabitants. The research methodology and datasources consist mainly of an analysis of the documents concerning the Feasibility Studyfor the project The Construction of Suburban Rail obtained from the Marshal's Office inRzeszów, with particular emphasis on Stage II - A marketing analysis of investmentvariants and Stage III – A technical analysis of all investment variants of the projecttogether with cost estimation. The basis of the study also included research of thesubject literature and interviews with the people responsible for projectimplementation. Keywords: Suburban Rail; regional development; railway transport;Podkarpackie voivodeship