Poland reopens rail line 22 after fatal truck collision in Sokolniki Suche

Reopening of railway line 22

Railway operator PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe restored traffic on line 22 in Sokolniki Suche shortly after 23:25 on Friday night, completing rerailing operations after Wednesday's fatal collision. Przemysław Zieliński from the PKP PLK press office confirmed that technical teams rerailed the final passenger car and towed the damaged carriages to the station in Przysucha. The line connects Radom with the Łódź Voivodeship. Starting Saturday morning, trains operate on track number 1 in an alternating shuttle arrangement while repair crews work on restoring the damaged track number 2. Rail authorities imposed temporary speed restrictions along the cleared corridor, capping train speeds at 60 km/h on the track and 20 km/h directly at the railway-road crossing.

Collision details and casualties

The collision occurred around 11:30 on Wednesday, 9 September, near national road DK 12 in the Mazovian Voivodeship. A commercial truck drove onto the tracks despite an active red warning light, colliding with the PKP Intercity "Koziołek" train travelling from Lublin Główny to Szczecin. The impact derailed the electric locomotive and the first two passenger carriages. At least 114 people were on board the train at the moment of the crash, including three train crew members. A 39-year-old female passenger died from her injuries, the train driver suffered injuries, and eight people remained hospitalized as of Friday. Deputy Infrastructure Minister Piotr Malepszak described the kinetic impact of the collision during an official briefing.

We estimate that it was a speed around even 40 km/h. The driver completely ignored the signaling, appeared on the crossing and here physics and kinetic energy did their work. A multi-ton vehicle, a train weighing over 400 tons, and we see the tragic consequences of this event: the death of a passenger.

Union protest and judicial investigation

Following the crash, the Trade Union of Train Drivers staged a nationwide protest beginning at midnight on Thursday and concluding at 12:00 on Friday. Participating train drivers reduced speeds to a designated safe threshold of 20 km/h at railway-road crossings across Poland, intentionally creating delays to highlight crossing safety after a sequence of recent railway incidents. In parallel, the District Prosecutor's Office in Przysucha launched an investigation into the unintentional causing of a land traffic disaster. Under Polish law, that offense carries a penalty ranging from six months to eight years in prison. Malepszak stated that investigators consider the truck driver's culpability to be virtually indisputable.

Proposed legislative penalties

Government officials announced regulatory revisions and crossing security investments following the fatal incident. Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared that authorities must immediately begin urgent work to radically stiffen penalties for drivers who systematically violate railway crossing signals. Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak announced that the ministry will submit draft legislation to the Council of Ministers enabling a three-month driver's license suspension for any motorist entering a crossing on a red light. Klimczak stated that courts will face mandatory requirements to issue prison sentences and multi-year driving bans for actions resulting in disasters and loss of life. He also stated that more than 800 crossing locations on the national rail network have already been fitted with supplementary barrier systems since the start of the current parliamentary term.

Inattention, lack of common sense can cause a land traffic disaster, can cause the death of people.