Sabotage on the railways not only in Poland. In Slovenia, a train collided with obstacles

In Slovenia, a passenger train collided with objects placed on the tracks on Monday, said the management of Slovenian Railways, which believes it was sabotage. This is the second incident of this type in Slovenia in recent weeks.

The incident occurred in the morning on the Celje-Velenje line. The train ran over tree branches, garden furniture and a bicycle placed on the trail, and then stopped at the Żalec station. The scene of the incident was secured by the police, who are investigating “the crime of endangering public transport through dangerous actions or the use of dangerous means.” The electric multiple unit was taken out of service and replacement bus service was launched on the line. No one was injured as a result of the incident.

In a statement to the media, the director of passenger transport of Slovenian Railways, Miha Butara, expressed his belief that the situation was an act of sabotage. “This is not simple negligence, this is a planned attempt to harm other people,” Butara said. He expressed hope that the police would find the perpetrators, also in the case of August 19, when early in the morning in Novo Mesto a passenger train hit railway sleepers deliberately placed on the tracks. “We are outraged by this type of behavior, which is a deliberate act intended to cause property damage and jeopardize the safety of our employees and passengers,” Butara said.

This is yet another case in recent weeks in which unknown perpetrators destroy railway infrastructure or place various objects on the tracks. So far, this has led to several serious accidents. In mid-October, a passenger train derailed at Vintgar station due to intentional damage to a switch. Earlier, at Bled Jezero station, workers prevented a train from derailing when a switch was damaged, and near Rakovnik someone placed a boulder on the tracks. The potentially most dangerous incident occurred on September 29, when intentional damage to a signal was discovered at the Bled Jezero station. Only the quick reaction of employees prevented two passenger trains from colliding.

Due to these events, both railway authorities and services appeal to citizens to immediately inform the police if they detect suspicious behavior near the railway line. (PAP)

tdj/kar/