Polish train drivers conclude 12-hour speed protest over crossing safety

Twelve-hour speed restriction protest

Train drivers across Poland concluded a 12-hour nationwide protest at noon on Friday, 11 September 2026. The action, organized by the Trade Union of Railway Engine Drivers in Poland, required drivers to reduce train speeds to 20 km/h when approaching all level crossings. The union initiated the safety measure under Article 210 of the Polish Labour Code, which permits employees to refrain from tasks that pose an immediate risk to health or life. Union leader Leszek Miętek stated at a press conference at 12:00 that the action represented an act of desperation following safety concerns on the rail network.

This was not a strike or a protest action. It was a standard use of the provisions of Article 210 of the Labour Code, which states that if work endangers health and life, the employee should refrain from performing such work.

Collision in Sokolniki Suche prompts union action

The protest followed a rail collision on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, in Sokolniki Suche in the Mazovia region. An InterCity train traveling from Lublin Główny to Szczecin collided with a truck at a level crossing. Preliminary investigative findings indicated that the truck driver entered the tracks despite a red warning signal. A female train passenger died in the collision, and multiple individuals sustained injuries. The train driver suffered a broken spine and severe trauma. Union representatives met with Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak on Thursday, 10 September 2026, to demand increased safety protocols at railway crossings across the country.

Scale of rail delays across Poland

The speed reductions caused widespread schedule disruption throughout Friday morning. PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe reported that 1,760 trains were dispatched by 08:00, with 270 delayed from their departure points and accumulated delay times exceeding 5,100 minutes. By midday, PKP PLK recorded that 3,000 trains had been dispatched since midnight, of which 2,600 reached their destination stations. Among those arrivals, 700 were delayed while 1,900 arrived on schedule. A total of 67 trains were cancelled by noon, including seven cancelled in part or full directly due to the protest. PKP PLK estimated that extended travel times affected under 20% of all operating trains.

Carrier disruptions and network recovery

PKP Intercity experienced extensive delays, reporting that 86 of its 171 dispatched trains had accumulated 2,188 minutes of delays by 08:00, averaging 25 minutes per delayed train. Individual routes saw long delays: the Ślązak service from Szczecin to Przemyśl reached a peak delay of 329 minutes, while the Podhalanin from Zakopane to Świnoujście was delayed by 205 minutes and the Przemyślanin from Poznań to Ustka ran nearly four hours behind schedule. Regional operator PolRegio registered its highest delays on single-track lines in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Podlaskie, Podkarpackie, and Lubelskie voivodeships. PKP PLK CEO Piotr Wyborski confirmed that schedule disruptions would persist through the evening.

We anticipate that the situation with delays will last until the late afternoon and late evening hours.

PKP Intercity CEO Janusz Malinowski announced that train operations are scheduled to return to normal schedules on Saturday and Sunday.