The new rules for train drivers’ exams will apply from 2023. The changes concern only candidates for train drivers, i.e. an exam for a train driving licence and the first train driver's certificate. The exams will be conducted at the Examination and Monitoring Centre for Train Drivers in Warsaw. On an area of almost 1,000 m2 there will be two rooms for a theoretical part of the exams, an administrative office where the licences will be issued, and a comfortable waiting room for those taking the exams, as well as three simulators - an electric locomotive, a shunting locomotive and an electric multiple unit - with a 360o field of vision, equipped with unified desktops which comply with ergonomics requirements and correct deployment of instruments, in particular with the Loc&Pas TSI (Technical Specification for Interoperability for Locomotives and Passenger Rolling Stock). The simulators will use a mapping of more than 5,000 km of existing rail routes.
The Centre is a new quality and a step towards safer railways in Poland. From 2023 it will be the main examination centre for people choosing the profession of train driver, i.e. applying for a train driving licence and a train driver's certificate. We will ensure that exams are conducted in an unified, impartial and comparable manner - says Ignacy Góra, President of the Office of Rail Transport.
Registration for exams and application forms for train driving licences will be online. The exams for the licence or the certificate will be entirely computer-based. The IT examination module was designed especially for the Office of Rail Transport. The simulator part of the exam for train driver's certificate will be carried out at the Centre. It will allow to check the knowledge and skills of candidate train drivers in an impartial and innovative way. In Europe similar exams with simulators are conducted only in the Netherlands.
The commitment of the Minister of Infrastructure and Members of the Parliament’s Infrastructure Committees allowed for a smooth legislative process and establishment of the Examination and Monitoring Centre for Train Drivers. The introduction of state exams is a part of a comprehensive action plan of the Office of Rail Transport to ensure a safe and competitive rail transport in Poland – sums up Ignacy Góra, President of the Office of Rail Transport.
The project "Improvement of rail safety by creation of the Examination and Monitoring System for Train Drivers" is co-financed by the European Funds under the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Programme.