Public safety at railway transport facilities. What you need to know

12:40, September 9, 2026

The main mode of transport in the Republic of Belarus is railways. They connect all regions into a single whole, meet the population’s transportation needs, and ensure the normal circulation of industrial and agricultural products.

Rail transport is a mode of transport that operates 24 hours a day, regardless of season or weather conditions. Railways feature various engineering structures, technical devices, and means, the main ones being the railway track, rolling stock, locomotive and wagon facilities, signaling and communication systems, and power supply. Recently, issues of injuries and train movement safety have become particularly acute on the railway.

Measures to ensure public safety at railway transport facilities include:

• prevention of non‑occupational injuries;
• prevention of traffic accidents involving road and railway transport;
• prevention of robbery, theft, hooliganism, and fraud;
• prevention of vandalism of structures and damage to transport enterprises’ property, including graffiti on wagons and buildings;
• prevention of offenses that pose a threat to safe train movement.

To prevent injuries and fatalities at railway transport facilities, preventive measures such as raids, patrols of track sections and station areas in places where citizens frequently cross railway tracks in unauthorized locations are carried out.

The main types of offenses are:

Throwing stones at passing trains – if a stone breaks the window and hits a wagon where people are inside, the citizen faces liability under Article 339 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (punishable by community service, a fine, corrective labor for up to two years, arrest, or a restriction of liberty for up to three years).

Crossing railway tracks at an unauthorized location carries liability under Part 4 of Article 18.2 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Belarus (results in a fine of up to two basic units).

Placing foreign objects (stones, sticks, metal items) that can disrupt train movement carries liability under part 1 of Article 18.2 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Belarus (imposes a fine ranging from two to ten basic units). If, however, a train crash ensues after the hooligan act, the punishment is prescribed by Article 309 of the Criminal Code (intentional rendering of a vehicle or transport infrastructure inoperable).

Drinking alcohol in a carriage – if the person is held liable for alcohol consumption for the first time, part 1 of Article 19.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Belarus applies (imposes a fine up to eight basic units). If it occurs again within a year, part 2 of Article 19.3 applies (imposes a fine from