In 2015, the number of cargo thefts from wagons fell by 40%, while the number of crimes on railway property decreased by 15%. Using modern equipment, including mobile monitoring centres, camera traps and the drones currently being tested, the Railway Guard will provide passengers with even safer journeys and make freight transport safer.

Railway officials expect that using unmanned systems for ongoing monitoring of railway lines can reduce the destruction and theft of railway infrastructure components and thus improve travel safety.

– The Railway Guard has been testing drones since November. We determine the location and timing of flights based on detailed observations. A drone monitored, among other places, the tracks on the route from Warszawa to Gdańsk and in Silesia. The very first operations helped prevent a coal theft in Silesia near Mysłowice. The drone tests will continue until the end of the year. In the field, we are checking the usefulness of modern devices for monitoring and limiting theft and interference with equipment that ensures the safe and punctual passage of trains – says Paweł Boczek, deputy chief commander of the Railway Guard responsible for security.

The Railway Guard has been using modern, specialised equipment for several years. It has mobile monitoring centres, special vehicles equipped with camera systems, including wireless cameras. Thanks to them, officers can observe several kilometres of railway line and respond immediately to violations of the law through radio communication with other patrols. The Railway Guard is also equipped with camera traps, devices that automatically record an unauthorised person's entry onto railway property and notify a patrol.

Railways are safer

  • The number of crimes on railway property fell by 15%. From January to September, the Railway Guard recorded 8,178 incidents, compared with 9,709 the previous year.
  • The number of cargo thefts from wagons also fell by 40%. During the first nine months of 2014, there were 1,299; this year, there were 778.
  • The number of thefts and acts of vandalism involving infrastructure components and equipment related to railway traffic safety fell by 19%. That is almost 700 fewer thefts than a year ago.
  • Fewer thefts and acts of vandalism mean fewer delays and interruptions in train services for passengers, and lower financial losses for the infrastructure manager.

PKP PLK/ii