Explosive planted on Warsaw-Lublin rail line

[deltic]

Media are reporting sabotage on Warsaw Lublin line, presumably to disrupt military traffic into Ukraine.

The blast on the Warsaw-Lublin line follows a wave of arson, sabotage and cyberattacks that has hit Poland and other European countries since the start of the war in Ukraine

https://www.reuters.com/world/explosion-polish-railway-track-was-caused-by-sabotage-pm-says-2025-11-17/

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

The Guardian's Europe liveblog reports that there will be a press conference at 14:00 (13:00 GMT).

39m ago11.29 GMT
We should get an update on the Polish rail sabotage investigation at 2pm Warsaw time (1pm London), when we are expecting a joint press conference of interior, justice, infrastructure and security services ministers.

I will keep an eye on this for you.

Explosion on Polish railway was ‘unprecedented act of sabotage,’ says PM – Europe live

Donald Tusk says ‘worst fears confirmed’ over damage on route used to ferry aid deliveries to Ukraine

www.theguardian.com

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited the site this morning. Photos show a Koleje Mazowieckie EMU stopped on the track with police cordon tape attached to stop it being moved.

 

[Nottingham59]

From the Guardian's live blog (1212h GMT):

In the first incident, reported on Sunday morning near the village of Mika, authorities confirmed damage to a section of track as a result of an explosion, with Tusk saying it was “mostly likely intended to blow up a train” on that route (10:41).

Separately, a second incident was reported near Puławy on Sunday evening, where reported damage to the overhead line forced an emergency stop of a passenger train carrying 475 passengers, with further media reports of a possible obstruction on tracks. This event is being investigated and has not yet been formally confirmed as an act of sabotage.

Both incidents were reported on a critical railway line used for carrying aid deliveries for Ukraine.

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Report from the Guardian:

Poland railway blast was unprecedented act of sabotage, says Donald Tusk

Polish PM vows to ‘catch the perpetrators, regardless of who their backers are’ after blast on track used for deliveries to Ukraine

www.theguardian.com

 

[Merseysider]

Hoping those responsible are caught soon.

Update from the BBC:

Poland's prime minister has said an explosion on a railway line leading to the Ukraine border this weekend was caused by "an unprecedented act of sabotage", and vowed to catch those responsible "regardless of who their backers are".

Visiting the scene this morning, Donald Tusk said the damage done to the railway tracks on Sunday was deliberate and likely aimed at blowing up the train. He expressed relief there were no casualties.
Speaking later in Warsaw, after an emergency meeting of security officials, Poland's special services minister said there was a "very high chance" that the blast was carried out on the orders of "foreign services".

He didn't name Russia directly but Poland has experienced a series of major arson and sabotage attacks in recent years, including parcel bombings, that it sees as part of Moscow's hybrid war on the West.
The incident happened on the track between Warsaw and Lublin to the south-east, and Tusk noted that the route was "crucially important for delivering aid to Ukraine".

Poland's railway network is a critical part of the military supply lines for its neighbour as well as a route for civilians moving in and out of the country.

Investigators are looking into a second incident that occurred further down the same line on Sunday, where a packed train was forced to stop suddenly. It's thought "very likely" to be another case of sabotage – though not an explosion.
"These events show that the people behind it have decided to begin a new phase of threatening the railway infrastructure," Special Services Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said.
Russia always denies any role in such attacks.

The damage near Mika, about 100km (60 miles) south-east of Warsaw, was detected at around 07:30 local time (06:30 GMT) on Sunday morning by a train driver who was forced to make an emergency stop.

Photographs from the scene appear to show a section of track missing. There were only two passengers and several staff on board the train and no one was hurt.

On Monday the interior minister confirmed that the use of explosives was "beyond any doubt", though he didn't go into detail, citing the ongoing investigation.

A local resident told Polish TV he had heard a blast the previous evening.
"It shook the whole building, the windows... it all trembled so much," the man said, adding that people several kilometres away had felt the impact.

He thought at first it was a gas explosion, or a falling drone. A police patrol investigated but found nothing untoward.

The following morning, several trains passed over the damaged section of track and one reported the problem back to base but the line was not closed

No suspects have yet been detained but officials say police have collected a significant amount of evidence, including footage from nearby security cameras, to help identify who carried out this "shameful act of sabotage".

The strong language and close focus on the incident come as Poland investigates another suspected hybrid attack involving parcel bombs sent from Lithuania last year using a courier service.

One exploded just outside Warsaw and a second was intercepted. Another reached the UK on a cargo plane and went off in a DHL warehouse.

A number of suspects are in custody in Poland awaiting trial, including a Russian man, said to be one of the organisers, who was extradited from Bosnia.

There have been multiple other cases using people recruited via the Telegram messenger app, using accounts that Poland believes are run by Russian intelligence.

Two years ago, more than a dozen people were found guilty of installing secret cameras close to the railway lines in Poland that are used to send weapons and equipment to Ukraine.
But this is the first direct attack on the network.

Some experts quoted by Polish media suggest the aim was mainly psychological: that the explosives were meant to derail the train, not destroy it, to scare Poland off continuing its support for Ukraine.

But the Justice Minister said anyone involved would be found and prosecuted "ruthlessly" and there was "no place on earth they can hide".

Despite the symbolic show of strength – with several security officials and a prosecutor lined up on stage in suits - government ministers faced a barrage of questions about how such sabotage was possible and why the damage to the track wasn't located sooner.

In a tetchy exchange, the officials insisted that the response had been swift and effective and that it was "untrue and insulting" to criticise.

 

[Robski]

A more complete summary for those interested: At 06:40, IC 13109 Wisłok from Warszawa Zachodnia to Rzeszów (operated by PKP Intercity) reported a rough ride on track no. 1 to the signaller in Dęblin. Koleje Mazowieckie train Os 12713 (Warszawa Zachodnia - Dęblin) was advised to proceed at caution and to inspect the line, where the driver subsequently reported a ~100cm track defect at 07:30 - the first unit of the train had actually run over the track defect at reduced speed, as had the entirety of IC 13109 at line speed. Closer inspections concluded that the likely cause of the damage was an explosion.

https://x.com/Dyspozytura_T/status/1990166390897295668

https://x.com/Dyspozytura_T/status/1990011232473276690

(edit: typo in KM train number)

 

[railfan99]

This has all the hallmarks of Russian, or pro-Russian "actors" (to use the latter trendy term).

Having massively enjoyed late 2024 travels around Poland, staying in about five cities and riding trams extensively in between numerous PKP trains, it's a marvellous, underrated nation with surprisingly good infrastructure (at least as far as railways go).

No citizens were braver than the Poles in WWII. They have a lot to be proud of, so very sad to see some who'd do them harm.

 

[bananas]

I'm surprised I've not seen any photos of the affected area itself. Maybe it was fixed too quickly? I wanted to get a sense of the scale of the damage

 

[Robski]

Polish security forces have identified those responsible - two Ukrainian nationals, who have fled to Belarus. One of the individuals concerned was convicted in absentia of carrying out an act of sabotage in Ukraine last year.

The incident is being treated as a terrorist attack according to multiple Polish media outlets, alongside a connected incident further down the line involving a train colliding with damaged OLE.

I'm surprised I've not seen any photos of the affected area itself. Maybe it was fixed too quickly? I wanted to get a sense of the scale of the damage

It was in the second tweet (now deleted) in post #6, below is another picture.

 

[Nottingham59]

I'm surprised I've not seen any photos of the affected area itself. Maybe it was fixed too quickly? I wanted to get a sense of the scale of the damage

Looks like they lost a metre of rail. At least one train went over the break without derailing. I understand the front coach of the train that stopped went over it too, and stayed upright.

 

[70014IronDuke]

Looks like they lost a metre of rail. At least one train went over the break without derailing. I understand the front coach of the train that stopped went over it too, and stayed upright.

The US military did extensive tests on how to blow up track in order to derail a train. This was to evaluate and assess what was needed for successful guerilla action against railways in occupied Europe.

The tests revealed that it was shockingly difficult to destroy enough rail to derail a train!

I'm sure it's on YouTube somewhere, or was, at least.

 

[ainsworth74]

The tests revealed that it was shockingly difficult to destroy enough rail to derail a train!

I'm sure it's on YouTube somewhere, or was, at least.

Though it's one of those things one is reluctant to Google in case you end up on a list

 

[bananas]

Looks like they lost a metre of rail. At least one train went over the break without derailing. I understand the front coach of the train that stopped went over it too, and stayed upright.

Makes you wonder why we even have continuous rails!

 

[70014IronDuke]

Though it's one of those things one is reluctant to Google in case you end up on a list

So that's why I kept seeing that bloke sitting in his car outside my front door reading the paper every morning!

 

[yorksrob]

Given Donald Trump's determination to pump up Russia and kowtow to its demands at every opportunity, I can't see these situations becoming less likely any time soon unfortunately.

 

[Nottingham59]

The US military did extensive tests on how to blow up track in order to derail a train. This was to evaluate and assess what was needed for successful guerilla action against railways in occupied Europe.

The tests revealed that it was shockingly difficult to destroy enough rail to derail a train!

I'm sure it's on YouTube somewhere, or was, at least.

US Government tests on derailment. Date 8 March 1944

File:Derailment 226-b-6082.webm - Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org