Is Greece On The Brink Of Another Catastrophic Railway Accident?

Greece’s railway safety remains precarious after the 2023 Tempe crash, with ongoing concerns over infrastructure and training deficiencies despite warnings from the Union of Train Drivers.

Eighteen months after a deadly train crash in Greece claimed 57 lives, the country’s Union of Train Drivers has issued a stark warning to railway authorities. They’ve sent a strong message to the operators and regulators involved, stressing that the same dangerous conditions that caused the tragic accident in Tempe over a year ago are still unresolved.

According to the Union of Train Drives (PEPE), Greece’s railway system, whose safety deficiencies were revealed in a train disaster that claimed 57 lives in February 2023, still puts passengers in danger because the government hasn’t yet put in place procedures meant to lower the risks.

The group issued a second warning letter; it had issued such advisories in the past that were disregarded, most notably shortly before the head-on collision that was attributed to a stationmaster who was on duty just days after there were rumors that he had received insufficient training.

Subsequently, Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis, who resigned following the tragedy, acknowledged that not all contracts, including those sponsored by the European Union, had been completed. He had claimed that electronic and other safety measures were absent.

The drivers’ letter was addressed to Hellenic Train and the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE), but there have been no reports of a response. A survey indicated that the majority of Greeks believed there was a cover-up, and the investigation was conducted primarily in secret.

The union letter said, “Despite our constant appeals to you to restore the intensifying problems of the rolling stock, but also of the railway infrastructure, we witness damage incidents daily, which endanger the physical integrity of both passengers as well as our fellow train drivers.”

Ten days had passed since the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) also suggested that immediate safety measures be put in place, indicating that the trains remain unsafe. This is when the fresh worries emerged.

That was also stated in a letter to the Ministry, OSE, the Railway Regulatory Authority (RAS), and the Italian business that runs the trains but has so far eluded investigation.

The New Democracy government should enhance communication between station masters and drivers, according to the ERA, but there are no reports of any actions taken in this regard. The government kept the investigation into the crash’s cause mostly under wraps.

The government has pledged to make sure the trains are safe, particularly during the busiest travel season, thus the ERA called for the quick installation of the GSM-R radio communication system throughout the whole national railway network.

Greece’s National Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Organization (EODASAAM), which looked into the crash as well, albeit a year later, concurs with the suggestions.

“Enough evidence has been collected to justify issuing this emergency recommendation, even though the thorough investigation of the Tempi accident is still in progress,” stated the two agencies, including the ERA, which has two members on the EODASAAM committee conducting the probe.

They added: “The transmission of security-related messages lacks structure (identification of interlocutors and locations), methodology (reading, correction of errors), and the use of internationally agreed-upon terminology and communication rules.”

Although other safety precautions that could have averted the catastrophe were not put in place for years and still aren’t, which worries the ERA, poor communications were thought to be a major contributing factor in the crash.

According to the two agencies, Greece’s railways are far behind those of other EU nations, with whom they have no connections, and stationmasters and drivers still communicate in antiquated methods in the digital age.

Last year, GreatGameIndia reported that the world’s highest railway bridge, located between the villages of Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi district of southern Jammu and Kashmir, was set to open soon. The bridge had been built at a cost of $168 million.