Polish authorities convene emergency railway safety meeting after multiple accidents during boarding/alighting, including a fatal incident.
Emergency Safety Meeting Scheduled
A meeting to discuss railway safety will take place on Tuesday, March 3. The gathering will include representatives from carriers, the Ministry of Infrastructure, UTK (Office of Rail Transport), and PKP Polish Railways, which manages the tracks. All recent incidents occurred during the boarding or alighting process.
Fatal Accident in Pabianice
The most tragic incident happened at Pabianice station in mid-February when a 69-year-old woman apparently fell between the platform and a train car. She did not survive, and her body was discovered only hours later after additional trains passed through the station. Member of Parliament Paulina Matysiak recently demanded explanations for this incident in parliament.
Multiple Injuries in Other Incidents
On February 14, a 17-year-old was seriously injured at Wola Bierwiecka station on the Radom-Warsaw line. The young man was helping a woman with a stroller alight when his hand was trapped by closing doors, causing him to fall between the platform and a Mazovian Railways train. He remains in serious condition in the hospital.
In another February incident in Dęblin, two children aged 7 and 11 were left on the platform after their parents failed to disembark from a PKP Intercity train in time. Despite using the emergency brake, the train could not be stopped within the station boundaries.
Negligent Situation With Infant
On February 26 at Pietrzykowice Żywieckie station, a passenger with four young children was alighting from a Silesian Railways train. While three children disembarked independently, a two-month-old infant remained in a stroller inside the moving train. UTK president Ignacy Gora condemned this “unacceptable” situation that directly threatened the infant’s safety.
Call for Improved Safety Standards
Gora indicated that recurring incidents demonstrate the need for decisive action across the passenger transport sector to restore the highest safety standards. UTK expects carriers to implement immediate, substantive training programs. Train staff should directly supervise boarding and alighting, especially for passengers with children, limited mobility, or strollers. Conductors must confirm complete passenger exchange before departure signals.
Parliamentary Tensions Over Safety
Safety concerns were raised during a recent parliamentary infrastructure committee meeting, which included a heated exchange between Leszek Miętek, head of the Train Drivers’ Union, and Deputy Infrastructure Minister Piotr Malepszak. Miętek accused the government official of personally worsening railway safety through pressure for train punctuality, referencing a “Spanish scenario” of recent tragic accidents in Spain. Malepszak denied these accusations.