The first train in the Grand Duchy of Poznań arrived in Poznań from Stargard Szczeciński on 11 August 1848. The lines from Poznań to Leszno and Wrocław opened to 1856, to Berlin in 1870 and to Inowrocław and Bydgoszcz two years later. By 1875, Poznań was connected to Upper Silesia via Ostrów Wielkopolski and Kępno.
During the 20-year interwar period, the lines in the Prussian partition were integrated with those in the rest of Poland and a series of new ones, including a direct connection between Poznań and Warsaw, were opened. The rail network was not rebuilt after WWII but rather modernised - mainly through electrification and by gradually replacing steam engines with internal combustion traction. The line to Warsaw was the first to be electrified (1962-1964). The Wrocław line was electrified in 1970, Katowice in 1974, Inowrocław 1976 and Szczecin 1977-1978.
Europe’s only working roundhouse in Wolsztyn, from where steam trains still run, is a tourist and touring attraction that brings back the glory of rail travel like nothing else can.