Accumulation of accidents on the railway? Expert: We are stuck in the realities of the last century

On Thursday, August 24, there were several accidents on Polish tracks. It was a record day in this regard. – We tried to recall a similar day in our memory and statistics. I don’t remember such an accumulation of events in one day –

So the media started writing about the accumulation of accidents, and “this week it was scary to get on the train”. – Something is wrong with the railway system, but no one answers what is wrong. Instead, we have disregard for supposedly “innocent” problems – Adrian Furgalski, transport policy analyst. However, Jakub Majewski sees it differently, president of the ProKolej foundation, interviewed by Next Gazeta.pl.

There were no more accidents than usual

– I do not have the impression that the number of incidents on the railway network has increased dramatically. However, public attention has increased, including e.g. journalists who analyze successive cases in detail. And that’s probably why the list of more serious events in recent days has been extended by a whole series of incidents that happen every day. Only so far hardly anyone has paid attention to them – says Majewski. And he explains that the impression that something on the railway broke down overnight is wrong.

As far as railway traffic safety indicators are concerned, they do not differ significantly from European standards in Poland

– says the president of the ProKolej foundation.

Jakub Majewski also points out that the majority of serious railway accidents are related to the entry of car drivers onto the tracks, which – in his opinion – is a result of low safety in Poland in general.

We are used to the fact that almost every day people die on the roads and this does not trigger a media avalanche. On the other hand, on the railway, even an accident without casualties or losses is an impulse to prepare a special issue or an article with an alarmist title.

Majewski concludes.

It’s speed and efficiency, not security, that’s the problem

According to the president of the ProKolej foundation, the problem is not the level of railway traffic safety, but his own organization and response in crisis situations. Because although August 24 was record-breaking in terms of accidents, no one was hurt in them.

– In all incidents, there was not a single person killed or even injured on the train. This means that the security we use has passed the test – said Mirosław Skubszyński from PKP PLK.

Jakub Majewski admits that in terms of traffic control systems, not only Poland, but all of Europe is well behind. In many places, devices that have long reached retirement age are in operation.

It also recalls that we are investing a lot of money from the EU in infrastructure, but the modernization program keeps getting bogged down in obstacles. – The railways received huge funds, but from the perspective of users, the proportional effect is still not visible – he says. The same is true in the sphere of security, where a great deal of responsibility still lies with employees who do not have systems supporting their work and eliminating possible errors.

Archaic solutions mean that we cannot increase the speed, increase the frequency of courses or automate safety supervision. And in the event of problems or potential threats, we stop train traffic just in case.

The solutions used on a daily basis are safe, but security is often achieved at the expense of traffic disorganization and delays

says Majewski.

The lack of digital rail management systems means that trains run slower and less often than they could. And in unpredictable situations, they catch serious delays. As a result, the system loses efficiency and reliability, and consequently is less attractive to travelers. The transition to modern traffic control systems would also prevent such situations as in the province of Zachodniopomorskie, where an unidentified perpetrator broadcast a radio-stop signal and disrupted the running of trains.

– The Polish railway is still stuck in the realities of the last century. If we want to travel between the capital and other cities in an hour or an hour and a half, we need to build new railway lines and increase the speed. An integral part of this change is also the digitization of train control – explains the president of the ProKolej foundation. He adds that an additional problem is the lack of staff that would replace experienced railwaymen. This creates additional pressure for automation.

According to Majewski, it will not be possible to build a sustainable transport system without a modern railway. The industry, which has been pushed to the margins for thirty years, turns out to be the closest to the idea of ​​zero-emissions.

After two decades of building roads, it’s time for two decades of building railways and bringing them up to the standards of the 21st century. Because our motorization is thoroughly modern, and the railway in many places is still from the 19th century

– appeals the president of the ProKolej foundation.