A tourist in Croatia noticed a lone Polish PKP Intercity carriage standing abandoned on a siding in Rijeka – already covered in graffiti. A loss? The railway company insists it’s more of a “reserve.”
This year a train connection from Poland to Croatia was launched, which the government showcased as one of its “success stories.” “By the end of the holiday season, about 11,000 tickets for the train to Croatia had been sold; couchette and sleeper cars were the first to sell out,” said Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak last month.
The Adriatic Express from Poland to Croatia runs through four countries – the Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovenia – before reaching Rijeka in Croatia. The train operates from Warsaw to Rijeka four times a week – on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, and from Rijeka back to Warsaw on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Its route covers around 1,240 kilometers, making it one of the longest available railway lines in Europe.
Poles bring back holiday memories from Croatia – and, as it turns out, something else seems to have stayed behind as well. A sharp-eyed observer noticed… a PKP Intercity carriage left alone on a siding in Rijeka, already targeted by local graffiti artists.
“Hey PKP Intercity – didn’t you lose a carriage? Because a 144A-type [61 51 21-70 164-8] carriage is standing here in Rijeka, covered in graffiti, and it’s only a matter of time before it gets further damaged. Why is this sitting in the bushes 600 km from Poland?” – one internet user asked. The railway company replied: “The carriage remains in reserve, and the graffiti will be removed once it’s brought back to Poland.”