Just five months ago, in October 2022, the Panhellenic Union of Traction Personnel sent a letter to osethe Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation, Hellenic Train and the Office of Railway Regulation, complaining about the poor state of the rail network, lack of maintenance and traffic lights that do not work, but apparently it ended up in the trash.
The authors of the letter asked that it be answered in writing and in the ministry … they answered, on their … invisible typewriter, that is, they never answered.
It is worth noting that France has spent 5 billion on the reconstruction of railways over the past 20 years, and they, as a result, have not just railways, but also real high-speed roads, while in Greece more than 15 billion have been spent , and the railway is breathing its last, as shown today’s disaster.
We also note that the unions of machinists warned in every possible way about the need for immediate intervention in the situation with the railway network ΟΣΕ. In addition to the public appearances of the members of the union, there were also resignations and issuance of an out-of-court order, which caused concern for both the organization and the Mitsotakis government.
The Panhellenic Union of Traction Personnel even singled out in circulation examples of three derailments that occurred during this time: at Tifora on August 1, at Lianoklady on October 10, and again at Tifora on the 21st of the same month.
Letter from the Panhellenic Union of Traction Personnel:
ΕΞΩΔΙΚΟ ΠΡΟΣ ΟΣΕ, Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, ΡΑΣ and Hellenic Train.
With regret/concern, we inform you that, despite our constant remarks, our protests and, above all, our constant calls for the restoration of the growing problems of the railway network, unfortunately, the fears that we expressed to you have been confirmed.
We constantly observe the unsatisfactory state of the railway infrastructure, its lack of maintenance (as evidenced by the laziness that is given daily to train drivers), non-functioning traffic lights and telecontrol for many years, non-functioning ETCS systems (European Traffic Control System, the commissioning of which protects against errors person) that never worked despite being installed!
We also note the following:Inoperability of telematics at stations, as a result of which passengers are not informed about delays and route changes, and passengers are angry and scold at drivers! We are also seeing the closure of stations in regional cities due to a lack of station chiefs, which creates problems with train traffic and route density. Incomplete fencing of infrastructure, resulting in many places with easy access for pedestrians and constant accidents with casualties.
thick vegetation near the infrastructure, limiting visibility and even blocking line signals, non-functioning security systems and lighting inside the tunnels in the Athens suburb (Megara) for 15 years (!). Lack of electrical service leading to delays in routes, while on October 25, 2022, when our driver was injured and hospitalized (he even received a 7-day sick leave from the aforementioned industrial accident), the Athens Suburb train (number 1534) ran into hanging power lines!
The proof of the above and the poor state of the infrastructure are 3 derailments in 2 months!
A) August 1, 2022 derailment of 1521 trains in the area of Tiforei,
B) October 10, 2022 local train crash in Lianoklady,
C) On October 21, 2022, the derailment of 882 trains in the Tiforei area.
The result of all this is the discrediting of the railroad, despite the diligent efforts of the train drivers, as well as the HellenicTrain company, which operates buses to serve passengers after each incident.
In connection with the foregoing, given the exhaustion of the tolerance limits of working train drivers, we hereby strongly protest and oppose the problems already identified, and invite you to urgently restore the above problems in the railway infrastructure. We strongly protest the threat to our health and safety due to network issues and urge you to take all necessary measures to ensure our health and safety.
We also invite you to explain in writing to us the steps you intend to take within 15 days of notice. We inform you that we intend to mobilize all of the above reasons from this notice.
The competent bailiff is ordered to deliver this to those to whom it is addressed.
Athens, 31 October 2022″
The lack of modern GPS systems on the railway, which would show exactly where each train is, was reported on OPEN TV secretary GSEE Nikos Kioutsoukis.
“Crime with railroad projects is timeless. Let me remind you that since 1975, our country has been fighting to build a high-speed network up to 200 km, while other countries are fighting for 500 km. With a two-row EMPTY axle, where it has not been completed for years, and modern GPS systems have not yet been installed, they do not work”.
In fact, as he showed,some were bought long ago, since 2000.” The GSEE Secretary further stated: “I can’t understand that we have the only privatized railroad company, the only privatized railroad repair company, and that OSE doesn’t have the money needed to maintain its network. This is not a current phenomenon, it is eternal, and this was the responsibility of all governments.”
In addition, he stressed that “the money that has been spent is too much. For example, in France 5 billion have been spent, but here more than 15 billion have been spent, and we have no railway.”
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