The incident comes as Polish train drivers launched a nationwide go-slow protest to demand stronger safety measures amid a spike in railway crossing crashes. Passengers fled a city bus in panic after its driver entered a railway crossing against red lights and stopped as the barriers came down. Poland’s railway infrastructure manager PLK said the driver had already entered the crossing area when the red lights were on, but instead of continuing through or reversing, he stopped before the tracks. One of the barriers then lowered onto the roof of the bus in the city of Łódź. “This is a situation that should never happen, particularly involving a professional driver carrying passengers,” PLK said in a statement posted on X. The Łódź incident comes as Polish train drivers launched a nationwide go-slow protest on Friday to demand stronger safety measures amid a recent spike in railway crossing crashes. Four trains collided with heavy vehicles in just seven days earlier this month, leaving one person dead and 20 injured. ‘Drive through!’ PLK said the driver should not have waited beneath the lowered barrier. If a vehicle becomes trapped on a crossing, the priority is to leave the tracks immediately, even if that means driving through and breaking the barrier, the company said. “The barrier is not an obstacle that should stop a vehicle in a life-threatening situation,” PLK said, adding that barriers are designed so vehicles can break through them. In this case, officials said the bus driver could also have reversed because the car behind had left enough space. Instead, passengers were allowed to leave the bus close to the railway tracks. PLK said the incident showed that professional drivers must know emergency procedures and be able to react quickly. “A few seconds of hesitation can decide the lives of dozens of people,” the company said.
