Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for immediate action following the crash, which occurred when a concrete mixer truck moved into the path of an oncoming train. It marked, he said, the latest in a series of such accidents.
"We must immediately begin work on radically tightening regulations for those who violate them," Tusk said. He pointed to repeat offenders who ignore barriers and warning lights: "There are drivers who systematically drive onto railway crossings despite barriers and red lights. This has to stop".
Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak confirmed his ministry is drafting the stricter penalties on an urgent basis, describing the coming legal changes as radical and calling safety at crossings a top priority. He said he has already briefed rail sector leaders, including the head of the Office of Rail Transport and a train drivers' union chief, and that discussions with them are ongoing.
The crash happened before noon near Sokolniki Suche, near Przysucha in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship, when the truck collided with a PKP Intercity train running from Lublin to Szczecin. A female passenger died, seven people were hospitalized, and total injuries reached about 20.
The truck driver said he had been blinded by sunlight and did not see the approaching train, according to officials. However, prosecutors said their investigation determined the crossing's warning signals were working properly at the time of the collision. Train service on the line connecting Tomaszów Mazowiecki and Radom Główny remains suspended.
(jh)
Source: Polish Radio