Poland's railways cancel 258 trains and halt freight as record heat deforms steel tracks nationwide

How heat breaks the railway

When rail steel heats above 70°C, thermal expansion forces the metal out of shape. On Monday, Poland's infrastructure manager PKP PLK recorded such temperatures on multiple lines, causing track buckling (known as wyboczenie) and contact-wire faults. Engineers responded with speed restrictions and, where damage was too severe, stopped trains altogether.

“When the temperature exceeds 70 degrees, deformation occurs because of the thermal expansion of steel. In such cases we first limit train speeds. If the fault is more serious, we halt traffic.”

The state-owned company deployed 180 inspection teams and 64 network-monitoring trains to survey 19,000 kilometres of track. Despite those patrols, infrastructure failures piled up through the afternoon, paralysing key arteries across Silesia and the south.

Cancellations and the freight ban

By 19:30, PKP PLK had scrubbed 258 passenger trains operated by various carriers. Earlier, around 13:00, the tally had already passed 160. To ease congestion and give passenger services priority, the infrastructure ministry ordered all freight trains halted from 13:00 to 19:00.

“On 29 June freight train traffic was stopped. During this time passenger trains are being handled as a priority so we can limit disruption in the event of heat-related failures.”

A decision on whether the freight ban will be extended into Tuesday is due early that morning, PKP PLK's press office said.

Silesia hit hard

One of the most severe incidents occurred on line 169 between Tychy and Łaziska Średnie, where the track buckled. Long-distance trains that normally run the route were diverted, and regional operator Koleje Śląskie launched bus replacement services. Its spokesman, Bartłomiej Wnuk, confirmed that 12 trains on the S1 line between Gliwice and Dąbrowa Górnicza Ząbkowice were cancelled.

Speed limits were also imposed on several other Silesian stretches – from Gliwice Łabędy to Rudziniec Gliwicki, Sławęcice to Kędzierzyn-Koźle, Nakło Śląskie to Tarnowskie Góry, and others – after track-temperature sensors triggered alerts. Katarzyna Głowacka of PKP PLK noted that by 15:00 the regional network was flowing without major disruption but that further cuts to PKP Intercity and Koleje Śląskie services were unavoidable.

Relief for travellers

PKP Intercity, the long-distance arm, introduced ticket recognition across all Polregio trains nationwide and on Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna and Koleje Mazowieckie services in the Warsaw node. It also extended fee-free refunds (normally a 15% deduction) until 2 July for tickets bought on or before 29 June. CEO Janusz Malinowski announced that mobile information agents would staff 11 major stations – including Warsaw Centralna and Zachodnia, Gdańsk Główny, Szczecin Główny, Kraków Główny, Wrocław Główny, Poznań Główny, Katowice, and Gdynia Główna – on 30 June and 1 July.

What Tuesday holds

Poland's Institute of Meteorology and Water Management forecasts Tuesday highs of 36°C in the south and 26°C in the north, with Wednesday reaching 37°C in the south‑east before a slow cool‑down. PKP PLK warned that further deformations and cancellations are likely. The morning decision on freight restrictions will determine whether the network can absorb another day of extreme heat without a repeat of Monday's chaos.