A near collision between two trains on Friday in the northwest Athens district of Aghii Anargyri was again attributed to human error, an incident eerily reminiscent of the late February 2023 Tempi rail disaster, which left 57 people dead.
The first reports cite a mistake by the stationmaster at the Acharnes railway station in putting two suburban rail system trains on the same railroad track – and heading towards each other at an allowed speed of 60 kilometers per hour.
Train engineers in both locomotives luckily ascertained the erroneous order, with one actually stopping his train completely.
According to subsequent media reports, the train director, an employee of the state-run Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE), was suspended and an investigation ordered into the incident.
A relevant prosecutor later ordered an urgent preliminary inquiry, meaning that the case will now also be the subject of a judicial probe. Police subsequently were ordered to collect all data and communications related to another possible Tempi-like catastrophic mishap.
One of the suburban trains was first cleared to head towards Aghii Anargyri and then to the Eleftherios Venizelos Athens International Airport (AIA), with the engineer of the second train, headed from the northern Peloponnese city of Kiato to Athens, overheard the order over the same radio frequency.
The first train’s operator stopped completed immediately after leaving the station and 500 meters from the single line that would have put it on a direct Tempi-like collision course.
The incident occurred at 9:13 a.m. local time.
In a later announcement, the private company Hellenic Train, the operator of the suburban rail system, as well as the main rail provider in Greece, said its train engineers fulfilled their duty by strictly adhering to the general traffic regulation. “This is the only way to avoid incidcents and deal with similar unprecedented situations,” a relevant announcement read.
