Competitiveness in transport is determined by three basic factors:

the price of the transport service, the duration of the service, and its quality. The importance of these factors is largely determined by: the density and quality of transport infrastructure, as well as the availability and selection of means of transport. In Poland, it is precisely the density and quality of transport infrastructure that makes the share of inland transport in carriage practically marginal. This results primarily from the poor technical condition of waterways and insufficient reservoir retention for adequate equalization of water flows in rivers.Taking into account basic classification indicators, only 5.5% of the total length of inland waterways in Poland is of international importance (corresponds to class IV parameters and higher). The remaining waterways are only of regional importance.
This network does not form a uniform communication system, but rather a collection of separate and qualitatively different shipping routes, hence the recorded low share of this branch of transport
both in the carriage of cargo and passengers.
The most efficient water communication route in Poland is the Oder Waterway
with the port in Szczecin, and it is precisely in its lower section that international inland passenger shipping takes place. (…)

Competitiveness in transport is determined by three basic factors: – PDF file for download