Record heatwave paralyzes Polish railways: mass evacuations, traction failures, and 200-minute delays
Over 300 network failures were recorded by midday on Sunday as extreme temperatures warped rails and snapped overhead wires. Several trains were left stranded, with passengers evacuated from a sweltering Intercity service near Modlin.
Record heatwave strikes
Poland was gripped by record-high temperatures on Sunday, 28 June, triggering widespread railway disruptions. PKP reported over 300 traction network failures before noon as overhead wires snapped and rails buckled under the extreme heat. PKP PLK spokesman Bartosz Pietrzykowski explained that the heat caused disruptions in the traction network, which led to a cascade of stoppages across the country.
Critical breakdown at Modlin
The most severe incident occurred on line 9 between Legionowo and Modlin, a key artery north of Warsaw. At 11:12, a failure on the first track halted trains; less than an hour later, at 11:59, the second track also lost power, completely cutting off rail traffic.
Two repair trains were dispatched, but the damage forced the evacuation of passengers from stranded services.Between Legionowo and Modlin there is a traction network failure on both tracks. Rail traffic is completely stopped.
Evacuation amid scorching conditions
With no power and air conditioning in the stopped trains, temperatures inside carriages soared. Firefighters evacuated around 400 people from an Intercity service (Olsztyn–Kraków) and a Koleje Mazowieckie train. None required medical attention, though passengers described the conditions as unbearable.
Buses ferried the evacuees to Warsaw while crews worked to restore power.I'm traveling from Warsaw to Wrocław. Instead of an open carriage, it's an 8-seat compartment with no air conditioning. I hope I don't faint.
- First traction network failure on line 9, single track halted.
- Second track failure, complete shutdown of traffic between Legionowo and Modlin.
- Mutual ticket acceptance between PKP Intercity and Koleje Mazowieckie begins.
- Partial resumption of traffic on one track.
- PKP reports smooth flow through Modlin station.
Nationwide delays and stranded passengers
Service disruptions rippled across Poland. PKP Intercity spokesman Michał Wrzosek reported that some trains were delayed by up to 200 minutes, and just over half of connections arrived on time. The worst-affected corridors included Warsaw–Gdańsk, Wrocław–Katowice, and Łódź–Warsaw, where trains often operated on a single track. At Warsaw East station, passengers waited for hours; a stranded Łódź-bound traveler recounted that her 16:53 service never appeared on the board, and she eventually boarded a train that had been scheduled nearly three hours earlier.
Response and recovery efforts
PKP deployed diesel locomotives to retrieve stuck trains and mutual ticket acceptance between Intercity and Koleje Mazowieckie began at 12:30. Movement on line 9 resumed on one track by around 14:00, and by after 17:00 PKP confirmed smooth flow through Modlin. Additional disruptions on other lines – line 25, line 216, and line 274 – persisted into the late afternoon. PKP urged passengers to check updates on the Passenger Portal, carry water, wear head coverings, and avoid prolonged sun exposure. Rail infrastructure surveillance was to be reinforced for the remainder of the hot spell.
