A 63-Year-Old Train That Refuses to Retire
Somewhere northeast of Warsaw, at 3:58 on a Saturday morning, a train built in 1963 pulled out of the village of Mostówka toward the town of Tłuszcz. For most passengers aboard, it was simply a commute. For anyone who follows Polish railway history, it was a small event worth marking.
The EN57-038, affectionately nicknamed "Babcia" (Grandma), has just returned to weekend service in the Mazowieckie region after completing a major overhaul. According to TVP World, which first reported the story, it is the oldest electric passenger train still running regular scheduled services anywhere in Poland.
From Wrocław to Warsaw, Six Decades of Service
The train rolled out of the Pafawag factory in Wrocław on 9 May 1963, beginning its working life in Kraków before spending years serving passengers across southern Poland, including stops at Tarnów, Nowy Sącz, and Sucha Beskidzka. It eventually passed through PKP Przewozy Regionalne before settling into the Mazowieckie region in August 2003.
What keeps it notable is not just its age but its continuity. While Poland's rail network has steadily modernised, replacing communist-era rolling stock with newer fleets, Babcia has kept running. In 2022 it received a visual restoration, with its livery returned to the original yellow-and-navy colours associated with the Pafawag factory. The latest overhaul went further, bringing the train to full technical condition and adding a modern monitoring system and a closed-loop toilet.
Czesław Sulima of Koleje Mazowieckie (Mazowieckie Railways) described the train as having "permanently become part of the history of Polish railways," expressing satisfaction that it would again serve passengers and appeal to enthusiasts of heritage travel.
What the Route Looks Like
Babcia operates at weekends. Its primary corridor has been the regional line between Tłuszcz and Ostrołęka, a city in northeastern Poland. Tłuszcz sits roughly 40 kilometres northeast of central Warsaw and is reachable by commuter rail, making the connection accessible for visitors based in the capital who want to catch a ride on a piece of living railway history.
The experience is deliberately unspectacular in the best sense. There are no tourist gimmicks attached to the service; it runs as a normal regional train. That authenticity is precisely what draws enthusiasts.
Why It Matters for Hosts
Independent accommodation operators in the Mazowieckie region, particularly those running guesthouses or rural stays between Warsaw and Ostrołęka, have a ready-made talking point. Guests interested in slow travel, industrial heritage, or simply an unusual weekend excursion can combine a stay in the countryside with a ride on a train that predates most of their parents. Hosts who mention the EN57-038 service in their local tips, and who know the weekend timetable from Tłuszcz, can offer something genuinely distinctive without any extra cost or effort. Heritage rail tourism is a growing niche across Central Europe, and Babcia is one of the more accessible examples of it.
Details in this post were first reported by TVP World.
First reported by tvpworld.com.