Poland trains in winter

As of today, winter in Poland appears truly mild - I'm even inclined to call it "warm" - compared to what we had until yesterday.

On Monday when I unexpectedly found myself at the railway station in Żyrardów waiting for a train back to Warsaw, I didn't feel cold only for the first ten minutes of waiting; then the cold was becoming so piercing at minus 22 Centigrade that I suddenly remembered the good old Polish winters just as they were in the time of my childhood.

On Monday I got on a "podmiejski" train at Warszawa Zachodnia station as I commute to a town which is situated on the railway line to Żyrardów/Skierniewice. The train "podmiejski" stops at every stop on its way. But this one did not. The train was a trap for some of us. It took me as far as Jaktorów, the eighth stop from Warsaw West. The "Koleje Mazowieckie" railway company have recently introduced a new type of commuter train, a "faster" train, but not actually a fast train as it is. Fast trains have completely different looks than commuters trains both in the Mazowsze region and elswhere in Poland. "Faster" ones in Mazovia are exactly the same by their looks as commuter trains. Fast and faster trains to Żyrardów or Skierniewice stop by different platforms than do commuter trains at station Warsaw West. This one did otherwise. No information at loud-speaker that this one wouldn't stop before Jaktorów. There were about a dozen of us who unwillingly boarded their trap-train. After about twenty minutes of waiting, a return train to Warsaw arrived and we went all to the guard demanding to travel back free which was duly accorded to us.

Surprisingly enough, I was entrapped into such a train for the second time this harshy winter! The first time, due to harsh weather conditions, passangers travelling in the direction of Skierniewice were "shifted" from the commuter trains platform of Warsaw West to a fast trains platform. Then a train which looked exactly like a commuter train arrived (no proper announcement was made in spite of the fact that passangers were being re-directed to unusual platforms), I got on and then got off in ... Żyrardów as we were not given any chance to get off the train earlier on. There were about two dozen of furious us who were demanding a free ride back on a train to Warsaw, the wish which we were duly accorded. Since that incident I swore to myself to watch out every time I was about to board a train at Warsaw West, but the railway operator was even shrewder. This time they shifted the train rather than passangers just to play their dirty trick against which even an experienced commuter like me had no chances to act.

"Go somewhere by polish train ? Inform your family"

It should be announced more clearly what kind of train it is.

But in general, by train is the best way to travel in Poland. Especially because of the bad roads.

Cheap and you can get almost everywhere. Even many small cities have train connections.

Acoid trains in winter.

Many trains have delays of even 5 to 9 hours, and 5 to 9 hours sitting like stupid in freezing cold in a dirtyy trian station is REAL HELL :(

Avoid Poland in winter:)

Avoid Poland in most time of the year!
[Only on the Tłusty Czwartek it is worth staying.]

I couldn't agree more, I'm on an EIC now, 1st class. Looks and feels like a 2nd class ICE wagon. Loads cheaper than DB though :) So far, pleasantly surprised.