A tree falling onto the overhead contact line near Warsaw on April 7th caused significant delays for long-distance trains.
Severe Weather Causes Numerous Emergency Calls
Dynamic weather conditions in the Warsaw region on April 6th and 7th led to a high volume of emergency calls to the fire department. Most reports concerned fallen trees, broken branches damaging power lines, vehicles, and buildings, and infrastructure damage caused by strong winds.
Over the past two days, localized rainfall, thunderstorms, and strong winds have impacted Warsaw and surrounding areas. Firefighters have repeatedly responded to hazards resulting from damage to trees and infrastructure.
Fire Department Responds to 267 Incidents
The Warsaw fire department responded to approximately 200 incidents on April 6th. Between 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM on April 7th, they responded to 67 incidents, the vast majority related to wind-damaged trees.
Railway Infrastructure Damaged Near Milanówek
The most serious incident on April 7th involved damage to railway infrastructure on the main line between Pruszków and Grodzisk Mazowiecki. Between 3:30 PM and 3:50 PM, a tree fell onto the overhead contact line near Milanówek.
Train Damage and Evacuation
The incident damaged the overhead contact line on the main line. The pantographs of IC PKP Intercity S.A. “Marszałek Piłsudski” train number 13102 were damaged. Railway services have been working since the afternoon to repair the damaged infrastructure.
Passengers from the damaged train were evacuated by the fire department, who are also assisting PKP in clearing the aftermath of the failure. Disruptions affected long-distance train traffic on the route, with delays of approximately 40 minutes.