A Passenger's Nightmare on the Polish State Railways: "The Train Left Without Any Announcement"

Leaving trains while stationary on the platform is not a good idea. Passengers traveling on a PKP Intercity train from Warsaw to Ostrava were told that the maintenance break would last up to an hour, so they decided to go to a store for cold drinks. They quickly regretted their decision, as after 28 minutes, the train continued its journey without the missing passengers, but with their luggage. "The estimated loss is approximately 50,000 złoty," the injured party claims.

The Intercity train departed without a passenger.

Tomasz and Katarzyna, who were traveling on the morning IC 105 train from Warsaw Central Station to Ostrava in mid-July, lost their luggage after the train departed the platform in Racibórz earlier than the conductor had announced. The couple contacted Gazeta Wyborcza because the driver had abandoned them on the platform, leaving them behind during a scheduled maintenance break.

The passengers claim the stop was supposed to last "at least 45-60 minutes." Tired from the journey, they decided to stroll around the station grounds and buy some cold drinks. Unfortunately, when they returned, the train was gone. "We arrived at the platform after about 30 minutes and found that the train had departed without any prior notice, taking all our belongings with it," the victim says.

Both the station staff and the hotline were informed of the incident. Unfortunately, according to passenger reports, no one took the matter seriously. Subsequent hotlines redirected the matter, while the stranded passengers chased the train on another train. "After 2 p.m., after the fourth call, we were told that the Czechs were unable to do anything because the train was in Austria (the train's final destination was Vienna)," we read.

PKP is explaining itself

The biggest problem for passengers wasn't the mere fact of missing their train and thus arriving late, but the loss of valuable luggage. According to Mr. Tomasz, the laptop and the data stored on it were worth up to 50,000 złoty. Unfortunately, this item was already missing when the lost luggage was claimed in Vienna.

"Travelers leaving the train during the stop were asked to stay put," commented Maciej Dutkiewicz, spokesman and office director of PKP Intercity. According to legal counsel Tymoteusz Machowski, speaking to Gazeta Wyborcza, it will be difficult to prove the railway's guilt, as the passengers voluntarily left their luggage unattended.

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