Warsaw tram drivers have been instructed to switch off air conditioning during long layovers at terminal loops to prevent breakdowns, drawing concern over soaring cabin and passenger temperatures during a severe heatwave. <\/p>\n
Motormen at Tramwaje Warszawskie received instructions regarding the operation of air conditioning during the upcoming heatwave. An internal memo states that cooling systems must be switched off at terminal loops during stops lasting longer than 10 minutes.<\/p>\n
The company explains this is necessary to reduce the risk of malfunctions. However, a driver points out that in direct sunlight, the temperature in a tram without active cooling can rise to around 40 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n
The issue gains particular significance due to last week’s high temperatures and a third-degree meteorological warning active in Warsaw and the Masovian Voivodeship from August 3 to 6. Forecasts predicted maximum daytime temperatures between 33 and 38 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n
Drivers contacted the editorial office and shared a message addressed to employees containing guidelines for monitoring and using HVAC systems, which include heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.<\/p>\n
According to the memo, at line endpoints for stops exceeding 10 minutes, drivers should turn off the air conditioning and run only passenger area ventilation. Doors are to remain in the warm button mode, allowing passengers to open them independently. If the interior begins to warm up, the driver must open all doors until cooling resumes.<\/p>\n
The company explains that this limits the risk of icing on cooling components, particularly evaporators, and prevents excessive refrigerant pressure during high external temperatures. Authors of the instruction believe this will reduce AC failures and vehicle withdrawals.<\/p>\n
Drivers were also ordered to use air conditioning exclusively in automatic mode and must not manually change set temperatures even if the vehicle feels too hot. The company states the auto mode maintains optimal operation, limits maximum load performance, and reduces component overload risks.<\/p>\n
Drivers contacted by the editorial office claim that automatic settings depend on the specific tram, noting that while some maintain temperature properly, others have inaccurate sensors requiring manual correction.<\/p>\n
Employees also reported that in the week prior to July 31, tests involved turning off the air conditioning during loop stops, reportedly causing passenger area temperatures to reach about 40 degrees Celsius in one tram. This test result was not independently confirmed.<\/p>\n
Drivers point out that recooling a heated tram after starting a journey is not immediate, hindered by frequent stops, door openings, and high passenger numbers. In practice, a tram may start a route with a heavily heated interior, requiring time for the AC to lower the temperature.<\/p>\n
The final part of the internal memo raises the most doubts, indicating that the company’s overriding goal is maintaining transport continuity and preventing the loss of half-courses. In the event of an AC failure, including in the driver’s cabin, staff must first strive to continue operations even with temporarily reduced thermal comfort.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the document stipulates that continuing the journey is only possible when conditions allow for safe operation. A breakdown of the air conditioning does not automatically mean sending the vehicle back to the depot.<\/p>\n
The press spokesman for Tramwaje Warszawskie, Witold Urbanowicz, confirmed that during extremely high temperatures, reduced AC efficiency was noted in one type of tram, leading in some cases to earlier trip terminations and potential delays or unfulfilled single runs.<\/p>\n
Urbanowicz stated that corrective actions were implemented to ensure efficient AC work while maintaining transport continuity, and that problems are addressed case-by-case with traffic supervision and technical support.<\/p>\n
Differences are visible between the company’s response and the internal document regarding the scope of new guidelines. The spokesperson mentioned problems concerning one tram type, whereas the internal instruction specified no particular model, and drivers claim the rule applies to all modern trams.<\/p>\n
Another discrepancy concerns priorities. The spokesperson emphasized safety and proper travel conditions, while the employee instruction designated transport continuity and avoiding lost half-courses as primary objectives, requiring drivers to attempt continuing trips even with cab AC failures.<\/p>\n
The guidelines and spokesperson response both retain safety reservations, but the lack of specific parameter thresholds\u2014such as maximum permissible cabin or passenger area temperatures\u2014remains a problem, leaving no uniform measurement procedure.<\/p>\n
Drivers relayed rumors that limitations stem from technical problems and insufficient maintenance, though Tramwaje Warszawskie did not confirm maintenance neglect. Ultimately, both guidelines and responses show attempts to curb extreme temperature failures, while leaving maximum allowable vehicle temperatures unclarified when safety overrides passenger and driver comfort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Warsaw tram drivers have been instructed to switch off air conditioning during long layovers at terminal loops to prevent breakdowns, drawing concern over soaring cabin and passenger temperatures during a severe heatwave. New Guidelines Issued for Tram Drivers Motormen at Tramwaje Warszawskie received instructions regarding the operation of air conditioning during the upcoming heatwave. An […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18399\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}