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Public Transportation: Polish Trams Jump Tracks

Ah, trams. They've always seemed so safe: slow-moving, confined to a clear track, occasionally driven by bare-chested men, especially in Eastern Europe. But head a little north from Bratislava (home to the "look Mom, no hands!" school of tram drivers) and the recent drama in Poland makes us feel a little less certain about the reliability of streetcars.

It turns out that a 14-year-old school boy in the Polish city of Lodz was clever enough to hack into the tram network. He configured a TV remote control so that it would get trams to change tracks instead of flipping channels on the telly. The result of his fun was several accidents and four derailments, but fortunately no fatalities.

Sounds like a boy with a brilliant career ahead of him, if only he can put his amazing tram powers to work for the good guys.

Related Stories:
· Schoolboy Hacks Into City's Tram System [Guardian]
· Getting From A to Bratislava [Jaunted]
· Public Transportation Love-Hate coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Tierecke]