On September 13, two passenger trains almost collided head-on near Agioi Anargyros in Athens, a tragedy narrowly avoided by train conductors communicating that they were on the same line, and stopping completely. On September 14, a train was stopped on the tracks near the Sfendalis and Afidna stations and evacuated after it collided with fallen trees. On September 25, a fire broke out on tracks between Neranziotissa and Irini metro stations which led to a train being stopped and evacuated. These incidents raise questions about the functioning and train safety in Greece and come in the heavy shadow of the 2023 Tempi train crash, in which 57 people died, and led to nation-wide outcry and protest.
The Tempi crash brought focus to various gaps and mismanagement in the Greek railways– incompetent workers, lines in disrepair, inoperable radio systems, years of defunding. But the spotlight fell particularly on the fact that the traffic control and signaling systems, which are designed to prevent train collisions, are simply not installed and operable on all of the train lines, despite an EU-funded project to deliver such systems which was started in 2014.
Even after Tempi, reforms have lagged. In December 2023, an EU prosecutor charged 18 Greek public officials with subsidy fraud related to the improper execution of these contracts. The government has not taken up the investigation.
And today several parts of the regional rail line are still missing this critical traffic control and signaling system, which is required under European Union law. According to In.gr, the sections of rail line from Kiato to Ano Liosia, from Renti to the Athens Railway Station, and from the Athens Railway Station to the Three Bridges station, have signaling systems that are either inoperable or nonexistent.
After the Agioi Anargyros incident, the reports cited a mistake by the stationmaster at the Acharnes railway station. The Hellenic Railway Organisation of Greece (OSE) promised to “further enhance the training of staff in order to prevent individual errors.” The train drivers’ union stated that individual responsibility had avoided the crash and emphasized the signaling system was not operable at the place where the incident happened.
On September 24, Christos Staikouras, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, spoke to parliament about actions taken to reform and modernize the railway sector and improve train safety in Greece. Beginning by saying “I am not here to sugar-coat things. Nor am I here to claim that all the problems have been solved,” he detailed several projects on the rails. He stated the signaling system on the Athens to Thessaloniki line, on which the Tempi crash occurred, was upgraded and fully working for a brief period of time. But a portion of rail from Domokos to Larissa on which the systems had just been installed were then completely destroyed by the storm “Daniel” in September 2023.
Even in sections where the remote signaling systems are installed, there are still often malfunctions, and In.gr reports that conductors have complained many times in recent years that light signals are broken.
Train safety in Greece and the problems of the country’s rail system have been known for years. Rail workers, conductors, and members of the signaling and safety committee had all complained about the situation of the rails. Calls were made for repairs, more staffing, and more funding.
In 2021, the OSE administration sent a letter to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure arguing 135 million euros per year would be needed for proper operation. OSE’s budget in 2021 was a fraction of that– €50 million per year, and in 2022 it dropped even further to €45 million. As of July 2023, OSE’s annual funding was increased to €75 million. But the funding needs for maintenance expands beyond the agency’s day-to-day operation.
This summer the European Commission approved approximately €520 in funding for projects including upgrading rail lines, and installation of signaling systems. For the section between the central Athens station and Three Bridges, OSE is drawing up contracts to install the needed signaling system, and seeking another €1.5 million in funding.
This spring Panagiotis Terezakis, the head of OSE, assured Reuters that, that OSE had made progress on the installation of safety systems, that Greece’s rail lines were safe, but that more progress was needed.
Staikouras reported to parliament that plans have been made to hire and train more workers, that rail lines are under repair, that radio communication for tunnels was enhanced, and safety equipment was upgraded. But he estimated that a further €463 million was needed to implement repairs after the storm “Daniel”, and further maintenance was needed beyond that. He closed stating, “A continuous effort is needed to bring the Greek railways to the level we envision and that our citizens deserve.”
