In 2017, as many as 24 accidents occurred at crossings equipped with signals and barriers. Ignoring red lights and barriers is one of the most common causes of incidents at rail-road crossings. PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. are increasing safety measures and appealing for caution.

In Poland, the number of crossings equipped with monitoring and signals has been increasing year by year. Monitoring is currently installed at 1,200 locations, while PLK investments on railway lines are bringing cameras to additional crossings. Monitoring helps increase safety. It also records drivers’ behaviour. Negative behaviour that poses a threat to safety is reported to the police. Last year alone, PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. submitted nearly 1,000 reports.

In 2018, of the 53 incidents at rail-road crossings, six accidents occurred at crossings equipped with signals and barriers. That is more than 10% of all incidents at crossings.

“For 12 years, we have been running the ‘Safe Crossing – Stop the Risk!’ campaign. As part of these activities, we show, among other things, videos of drivers behaving improperly at crossings. They are provided to driving instructors and trainees at driver-training centres. By pointing out mistakes, we want to educate people and eliminate the most common causes of accidents: recklessness, risk-taking, haste and disregard for road-traffic regulations,” says Marek Olkiewicz, Vice-President of the Management Board of PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A.

Careless drivers caused 98% of incidents at rail-road crossings last year. In Małopolska, at a rail-road crossing near Piwniczna-Zdrój, cameras recorded four cases of barriers being broken within just three weeks. A video published on social media shows drivers breaking the law and, despite the signals being activated, deciding to cross the tracks dangerously. (It can be viewed above.)

Through recklessness, drivers are destroying equipment responsible for safety. Such cases endanger not only the lives of car passengers, but also those travelling on trains. They also lead to train delays and disruptions to rail traffic.

To limit negative behaviour by drivers and pedestrians, PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. have been running the ‘Safe Crossing – Stop the Risk!’ campaign since 2005. It includes thousands of safety appeals, education, lessons, training sessions, seminars and analyses of car-train accidents. The campaign is addressed to drivers, driving instructors and pedestrians—people of different ages: children, young people and adults.

As part of the National Railway Programme, PKP PLK are implementing the project ‘Improving Safety at Railway Line and Road Crossings’. In its first stage, the project covers the reconstruction of 182 rail-road crossings throughout Poland. The project will be carried out until 2019. The second stage focuses on building new grade-separated crossings. A total of PLN 400 million has been allocated to the project. It is co-financed by the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Programme.

PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. are also consistently improving safety levels at rail-road crossings throughout Poland. Between 2013 and 2017, more than 1,900 crossings were renovated, including those on the Warsaw–Czachówek and Warsaw–Białystok lines. Further work at track and road crossings will be carried out, among other places, on the lines to Lublin, Radom and Białystok. Grade-separated crossings will also be built in Pruszków, Sulejówek and Wesoła, as well as in Warsaw at Karczunkowska and Chełmżyńska Streets.