Winter and broken-down trains

What a sight greeted my eyes (above) as I got off the train at W-wa Powiśle this morning! A Pruszków-bound SKM train had broken down some 200 metres east of the end of the platform. As you can see, it's modern rolling stock, not a 40-year old EN57. I can only guess the passengers had to wait a fair old while before being told that they can get off the train and walk to Powiśle.

Above: social solidarity in action. Strangers were helping one another up onto the platform, not an easy climb when wearing thick winter clothing and clumpy footwear.

Above: I get the story into the following day's Gazeta Stołeczna, which earns me 200 złotys.

Right: Another view of winter hitting public transport; the bus stop at Rondo ONZ is one of the busier ones in Warsaw.

As I awaited a 155 back to the office after a meeting, three buses turned up at once. The one at the rear had to stop past the area from where the snow had been cleared. Passengers had to get off the bus by leaping over heaps of icy snow. Dangerous.

My train home was on time, though waiting for it, I spared a thought for passengers aboard the 15:47 departure from Siedlce to W-wa Zachodnia. At W-wa Śródmieście, this Koleje Mazowieckie service was advertised as being 120 minutes late. A record for a local train?

Weatherwise, today saw the really heavy frosts and blue skies replaced by snow-bearing clouds. Pressure dropped by 30 hPa in under 24 hours (from 1020 to 990!); fresh snow helped brighten the grey and tired mountains of ice piled up on the edges of Warsaw streets. More snow expected through to Saturday, then deep frosts to return.

Aha! And more here about the broken-down SKM train, in Polish.