On Tuesday, November 18, police in Katowice investigated a theft at a railway line, where an intruder broke into a box by the track and stole batteries powering the platform’s monitoring system.
Railway Track Theft in Katowice
On Tuesday, November 18, police in Katowice received a report about a theft of railway infrastructure. An intruder accessed a box located beside the track and stole the batteries that supplied power to the rail‑monitoring system. As a result, the cameras that watched the track at Muchowc lost power.
Possible Preparation for Another Sabotage?
One of the Slavish police officers told “Gazeta Wyborcza” that it cannot be ruled out that the disabling of the monitoring system may have been a prelude to sabotage on the track, similar to the incident at Garwolinium. In a statement to the newspaper, Commissioner Dominik Michalik, spokesperson of the Katowice City Police, said that the actions taken did not affect the safety of rail traffic. Police are still investigating the circumstances of the incident, and the Internal Security Agency will also examine the case.
Poland’s Response to Sabotage
Earlier this weekend, two sabotage acts occurred on the Warsaw‑Lublin route. It is widely believed that Ukrainian citizens acting on behalf of Russia were behind them. After the incidents, Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared the third level of railway alert, which will remain in force until the end of February next year. From November 20, a new military operation has begun. According to Polish Radio, the General Staff, in cooperation with the ministries of defense and interior affairs, has prepared an operation under the codename “Horizon”. The main task of the military forces will be to support other services in protecting rail infrastructure, including bridges, viaducts, and major transfer nodes managed by PKP.
