Since moving to Gdańsk in February 2020, I’d always travelled from Gdańsk to Gdynia by train using the SKM (Szybka Kolej Miejska – Urban Rapid Railway) commuter-train network.
That was before January 2, 2024. On that day, my wife and I travelled from Gdańsk Wrzeszcz to Gdynia Main Railway Station (Gdynia Główna) using the rail carrier PKP Intercity.
This post highlights why it’s worth considering alternative rail carriers to SKM when it comes to travelling by train from Gdańsk to Gdynia. I also review KOLEO – the best online train journey planner in Poland where you can check timetables and purchase tickets.
SKM – It serves a Purpose
Just to reiterate then, SKM is a public rapid transit and commuter rail system which serves Poland‘s Tricity area (Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia). The service also extends to places such as Wejherowo, Lębork, Kartuzy and Kościerzyna.
SKM trains run at intervals of between 7 to 30 minutes, depending on the day and time of day, on the central section between Gdańsk and Gdynia. At peak hours on weekdays, that is between around 6:30-9:00 a.m. and 15:00-17:30 p.m., trains run every seven to eight minutes. At all other times during the day, trains run every ten minutes. From around 20 pm, trains run every 15 minutes and from around 22 p.m. every 30 minutes until midnight. From midnight until around 5 a.m., trains may run every hour or half an hour depending on the day.
Gdynia Main Train Station is the eleventh stop on the route from Gdańsk Wrzeszcz Train Station, and the fourteenth stop from Gdańsk Main Train Station. The journey time is around 27 minutes from Gdańsk Wrzeszcz and 34 minutes from Gdańsk Main. .
The price of a ticket from Gdańsk Main Train Station to Gdynia Main Train Station is 8 zł. It is 7,60 zł from Gdańsk Wrzeszcz to Gdynia Main.
Looking at the prices of SKM season tickets, SKM is the ideal carrier for those who have to travel within the Tri-City metropolitan area for work and so on.
Viable Alternatives to the SKM Commuter-Train Network
Frankly, it had never occurred to me that it might be cheaper travelling from Gdańsk to Gdynia by train with a commuter rail service that’s not SKM.
However, when I checked KOLEO – Poland’s most well-known universal train planner – it occurred to me that there are cheaper and quicker ways to travel between Gdańsk and Gdynia.
Intercity and TLK trains which run between Gdańsk and Gdynia
Throughout the day, a number of Intercity (IC) and TLK trains travel from places in the south of Poland, such as Kraków and Zakopane, to Gdynia. These trains stop at Gdańsk Main Train Station, Gdańsk Wrzeszcz, Gdańsk Oliwa and Sopot, before arriving at Gdynia Głowna.
On January 2, my wife and I had to be in Gdynia for an appointment at 18:20. The office we had to go to is around a 15-minute walk from Gdynia Main Train Station.
As it turned out, KOLEO informed me that there is an Intercity train that leaves from Gdańsk Wrzeszcz at 17:19. This is the 3560 WITKACY train which runs from Zakopane to Gdynia. Anyway, the journey time from Gdańsk Wrzeszcz to Gdynia Main is just 18 minutes. This is ten minutes less than the time it takes SKM trains to travel between these two stations. Moreover, the fare for the Intercity train is only 4 zł – 3.60 zł less than the fare on an SKM train.
There are also several TLK trains which run between Gdańsk and Gdynia throughout the day. Consisting of classic older rolling stock with compartment coaches comprising six or eight seats in second class carriages, TLK trains may not be as comfortable and modern as the IC trains. However, I don’t think it matters for such a short 20-minute journey. The price between Gdańsk Wrzeszcz and Gdynia Main on TLK trains is 4 zł, as with the Intercity trains.
Just a word of warning. Avoid paying 19 zł to travel on the Express InterCity Premium (EIP) trains. They won’t get you to either Gdańsk, Sopot or Gdynia any quicker than the cheaper Intercity, TLK or Polregio trains.
Polregio
Another viable option for travelling from Gdańsk to Gdynia by train is to go with Polregio. Polregio is responsible for local and interregional passenger transportation in Poland.
The journey time between Gdańsk Wrzeszcz and Gdynia on Polregio trains is roughly the same as it is on Intercity trains – around 18 minutes.
My wife and I actually returned to Gdańsk Wrzeszcz on a Polregio train at 19:24. The only difference I noticed between the Polregio and Intercity services is that Polregio trains stop at one extra station – Gdynia Orłowo.
A word of warning if you’re travelling from Gdańsk Wrzeszcz to Gdynia. Make sure you don’t buy a ticket at Gdańsk Wrzeszcz Train Station for the train which goes to Gdynia via Gdańsk Airport. If you unknowingly choose this route, be prepared for a 50-minute journey. The safest bet is to check all the train times on KOLEO so as to avoid this unnecessary detour.
Final Thoughts
Be it long distance journeys or short rides between two neighbouring cities, Polish rail travel has always been a pleasurable experience for me.
My opinion of rail transport in Poland has recently gone up another notch now that I know I can travel in comfort between Gdańsk and Gdynia for 4 zł.
FAQ
All tickets available through KOLEO cost the same as those which can be bought at the ticket offices which belong to Polish rail carriers such as PKP Intercity, POLREGIO and PKP SKM.
KOLEO is directly linked with the ticketing systems belonging to all the rail companies it works with. Therefore, it has access to the same prices, discounts and offers offered by these companies.
KOLEO does not add any additional fee or transaction charge for neither issuing a ticket nor making the payment.
It costs 185 zł for a second class return monthly promo ticket between Gdańsk Główny to Gdynia Główna.