The Athens-Thessaloniki medium-distance train, which caused the greatest tragedy in the history of Greek railways, started shortly after 7:20 p.m. (6:20 p.m. in mainland Spain) on Tuesday. The last incident before the accident happened a few hours ago while running a previous train, where a cable broke. For this reason, the train involved in the accident stopped near Larisa, at the height of Palaiofarsalo. The cut cable blocked traffic on one of the two roads, the one to Thessaloniki. The one in Athens was open and a freight train passed through it on its way to the capital. After Larisa’s stop, the trains started running on one track.
If railroads had an electronic tracking system, station operators would know where every train was at any time. Despite being theoretically equipped with this technology, the president of the drivers’ union, Kostas Genidounias, denounced ERT on public television: “Nothing works, everything is done manually. No signal works.”
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A passenger waiting for his train at Palaiofarsalo station told ERT and MEGA Television that he heard the driver of the crashed train say through a walkie-talkie, “Let’s go, and hopefully.” Shortly thereafter, the train collided with a freight train bound for Athens at Tempe. Both were on a collision course for 11 minutes and no one could see them due to the non-existent tracking system.
The accident sparked a fierce controversy in Greece. Most of the criticism is not aimed at the government or any particular political party, but points to the responsibility of the political class as a whole, the malfunctioning of the Hellenic state itself and the austerity policies of recent decades.
The privatization process of the railway company OSE began with the first bailout of the Troika – formed by the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund – in 2010; and culminated in 2016 during the Syriza government, from 2015 to 2019. Privatization was irrelevant to alleviate the huge external debt – it was completed for only €45 million – and in no way improved services. The Athens-Thessaloniki route, where the accident occurred, is the most important in the country. Delays, stops and the replacement of the train by the bus due to malfunctions are common in this.
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The systems, designed to automate track movements, were purchased in 2000 and announced as part of the country’s modernization for the 2004 Olympics. Nearly two decades later, they have never been deployed.
OSE workers’ union leader, Nikos Tsikalakis, assured that the accident was due to human error related to a lack of resources. “In an organizational chart, in which the state itself estimated 2,100 employees, only 750 are employed in all of Greece today,” he complained. “Today it should not be possible for a stationmaster to decide everything in conversation with someone else, that has to be done automatically,” he added.
On February 7, just three weeks before the accident, another trade union in the industry issued a letter warning of the possibility of accidents. The Democratic Unionist Railway Union Movement (DESK-S) stated that “accidents will not end if measures are not taken to protect jobs and ensure the safety of trains”. In the statement, they referred to two recent minor accidents and assured that authorities “see safety as a cost factor”.
Aerial view of the accident site between the passenger train and the freight train. At least 38 people were killed and dozens injured when two trains collided near the central Greek city of Larisa.
ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS (REUTERS) The worst rail disaster in Greek history – and the worst in Europe since the Alvia disaster in Santiago de Compostela in 2013, which killed 80 people. The image shows several carriages from the damaged passenger train near the town of Larisa, about 350 kilometers north of Athens. Giannis Papanikos (AP) Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits the crash site. “The drama stems from a tragic human error,” Prime Minister Mitsotakis said after accepting the resignation of Transport Minister ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS (REUTERS). Pictured is one of the wagons of the damaged passenger train near the town of Larisa, some 350 kilometers north of Athens. Vaggelis Kousioras (AP) Greece had never experienced an accident of this magnitude. Three days of mourning were declared, flags flown at half-mast in all public buildings and public celebrations suspended. In the image, firefighters move the body of a victim at the scene this Wednesday. APOSTOLIS DOMALIS (EFE) The railway unions and workers in the sector pointed to a lack of resources as a possible cause of the accident. Pictured is an aerial view of the scene of the accident between the passenger train and the freight train Vaggelis Kousioras (AP) A crane removes parts from the crashed cars APOSTOLIS DOMALIS (EFE) Firefighters search for victims under the remains of one of the destroyed cars accident happened when a passenger train collided with a freight train on the route between Athens and Thessaloniki ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS (REUTERS) One of the passenger train’s carriages caught fire after the accident. ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS (REUTERS) Rescue teams in the area of Wednesday’s event near Larissa. ACHILLLEAS CHIRAS (EFE) Several carriages of the passenger train crashed near the town of Larisa, some 350 kilometers north of Athens. Giannis Papanikos (AP) The collision between the passenger train and the freight train occurred just before midnight. In the image, firefighters cover one of the victims. George Kidonas (AP) Pictured is the interior of the damaged passenger train. The trains collided just before midnight (11 p.m. in mainland Spain) near Larisa, near Tempe, a small town in a valley with a railway tunnel about 300 kilometers north of Athens.
SAKIS MITROLIDIS (AFP) Aerial view of the damaged passenger train, in which about 300 passengers and 20 crew members were traveling. Vaggelis Kousioras (AP) Police and military mobilized to assist in the rescue. In the photo, the fire brigade is working near the accident in the early hours of the morning. GIANNIS FLOULIS (REUTERS) A reporter sent to the crash site spoke of “apocalyptic” scenes at a station. Due to the severity of the collision, the debris of both trains were flung away. In the photo, the train with people derailed.
ACHILLLEAS CHIRAS (EFE) Column of smoke minutes after the incident. Vaggelis Kousioras (AP) Rescuers recover the body of a convoy after Wednesday’s accident. SAKIS MITROLIDIS (AFP) One of the victims of the accident. ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS (REUTERS) An injured man, covered in a thermal blanket, makes his way to one of the ambulances sent to the scene. APOSTOLIS DOMALIS (EFE)
Not only trade unions warned of possible accidents. Hristos Katsiulis, Chairman of the Commission for the Installation of the Railway Signaling System (ERTMS/ETCS in Greek), responsible for assessing the installation of road safety, resigned in April 2022 in a letter sent today to the local press has been leaked. In it he complains about serious breach of contract in the accident section. In particular, the removal of traffic lights on the Acharnes-Oinoi, Domokos-Larisa and Larisa-Platy sections was denounced. In addition, he regretted that “on this route, trains are allowed to run at 200 kilometers per hour without any indication of the condition of the line, even when stationary, with all the consequences for the traffic safety of trains. “.
On 20 October there was another similar accident. Train 882 left Athens for Kalambaka. The driver realized he was on the wrong platform and drove to the main platform, which serves five lines. He contacted the traffic controller, who activated a passing siding and sent train 882 into a cornfield to avoid the collision. The OSE company declared this deliberate derailment a “mistake”.
A few hours after the accident, the police arrested the station manager, Larisa. It concerns a 59-year-old employee of the railway company OSE. The Public Prosecution Service investigating the case is investigating manslaughter, culpable bodily injury and dangerous interference with the transport of vehicles, all punishable under the Penal Code. Two other workers at Larisa station who were closest to the accident were also questioned but were not arrested.
Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis resigned after visiting the site of the deadliest train accident in Greek history. In his statement of resignation, he not only expressed his grief and support for the families, but also assured that Greece “at the height of the 21st century” has no trace. In those three and a half years [de legislatura del conservador Nueva Democracia] We have done our best to improve on this reality. Unfortunately, these efforts were not enough to prevent such an accident,” he added. Former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras also visited Tempe. Although Greece has been waging a furious election campaign for months, the opposition leader and leader of the left-wing party Syriza refuses to accuse the government. “At this point, as we are still counting the dead and the mourners, I don’t want to talk about responsibility. We will talk about it in due course,” he said.
Source: La Neta Neta
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
