Since the beginning of the year, tragic accidents on Czech railway lines have claimed 155 lives. These incidents are often attributed to the carelessness of drivers and pedestrians or the dangers of crossing tracks at unsecured points. According to the Railway Administration (SŽ), voluntary self-harm is also, unfortunately, a factor in these statistics. To address this, the Railway Administration has launched extensive campaigns to highlight various risk scenarios.
In recent days, there have been several collisions between trains and cars in the Vyškov, Ústí nad Labem, Jablonec, and Strakonice regions. Since the start of the year, the total number of accidents on the Czech railway network has exceeded 800. “Many accidents occur on regional lines that operate only on weekends or seasonally. Drivers are often surprised to see a train on these tracks at all,” explained Nela Eberl Friebová, spokesperson for SŽ, to the ČT24 news channel.
Most incidents are reported in Central Bohemia, likely due to the dense railway network and high frequency of trains in the area.
The period from April to July has been the deadliest, with monthly fatalities exceeding twenty.
Through its campaigns, SŽ urges drivers and pedestrians to adhere strictly to safety rules at level crossings and to wait whenever barriers are flashing.
In addition to these awareness campaigns, the Railway Administration is heavily investing in safety at level crossings, allocating nearly CZK 2 billion for 2024, prioritising high-risk crossings in classes I to III. Despite these investments, nineteen fatalities have already occurred at these crossings this year.
Czech Railways is thus focused on a combination of public awareness and safety improvements to reduce risks at level crossings and prevent further tragedies.
