Another near-miss puts spotlight on ailing railway system

Successive incidents on the railway tracks resulting in passenger suffering, human errors by stationmasters and train drivers, disputed debts, fines for violations of railway legislation on OSE and Hellenic Train imposed after delays, incomplete safety systems and a war climate among those involved in the railway network: This is the image that still prevails on the Greek railway, which does not seem to have changed almost two years after the tragic accident at Tempe that claimed the lives of 57 people.

Following the incidents of the last week that resulted in great inconvenience to passengers due to the breakdowns and subsequent delays of the services, train conductors reported a near-miss incident at the Korinos station in Pieria, with OSE not denying the incident and announcing an investigation into the incident to identify failures in the signaling system. Unlike other parts of the network, which still remain without safety systems, the signaling in that area as well as remote operations have been working since August 2023.

In a letter addressed to the administrations of Greek and European railway operators, the Train Drivers’ Union (PEPE) reported that on Monday, train 2591 was stopped due to a technical problem at Korinos. Then, on the same line, the Intercity 57 train was also following, operating the Thessaloniki-Athens service. According to the reports of the two Intercity 57 train drivers, while train 2591 was parked at Korinos, the entrance sign was green, while it should have been red, because the line was occupied. The drivers reportedly heard over the radio that there was a stopped train at Korinos and contacted the suburban train driver via mobile phone, who confirmed it was stopped due to a breakdown on the same line. Therefore, the Intercity stopped in time and a collision was averted.

Train drivers who spoke to Kathimerini said both the warning signal and the next light were green, instead of amber and red.

Drivers report that a similar incident had also occurred in the same area last December.