A moment before the disaster: a commuter train entered a subway tunnel

With the current state of the Greek Railways, it has become dangerous to travel on the rails! A new “Tempi” almost happened in the Athens metro when a commuter train entered the metro tunnel at Doukisis Plakendias station.

As reported in the article “Newspapers of Editors” (Εφημερίδας των Συντακτών)a commuter train entered the wrong line when entering a subway tunnel.

The driver realized the mistake and tried in vain to contact the station manager. Then he made a decision that actually saved the situation: he slowed down, moving slowlyso that the telecommunications system would “catch” the error, which is what happened. The driver then had to retreat about 300 meters to get out of the tunnel in which he would have been stuck if he had driven any further!

The document, which describes how the commuter train entered the wrong line, was prepared by the Panhellenic Traction Personnel Association (PEPE) and sent to the Railway Regulatory Authority (RRA) and the National Accident Investigation Agency (NIAA). The text of the document is divided into two parts because, in addition to the incident with the commuter train, it also complains about serious delays in service caused by the slow service introduced O.S.E. due to poor network conditions.

“On Wednesday 9/10/2024, train 4245 was forced to return to the Athens commuter line, as it received an order from the station master (SKA Telecommunications) to change to the wrong line (namely the metro line) in the Doukisis Plakentias area” This is how the PEPC document describes the incident that occurred on the afternoon of October 9.

Commuter trains have a wide gauge (“circumference” is the precise term), meaning they are higher and are not allowed to enter the underground metro network. This particular train 4245 left Canza and was heading to Ano Liosia. At the heights of Doukisis Plakentias, commuter rail trains do not turn to enter the underground network (like metro trains), but continue straight along Attiki Odos. The point where the tracks between commuter and subway trains change is known, and everyone must be careful at this point in case of a mistake.

The train driver saw that the switches were turned in the wrong direction, directed him towards the metro and tried to contact OSE regulators at the Acharnon railway center (SKA). He reportedly radioed SKA two or three times but received no response. At that moment, he decided to use a move not provided for by the rules. He was traveling at a very low speed and entered the wrong line.

As soon as the train passed the sensor, the wrong course was noticed by the SKA radio control, and only then the OSE regulator responded and asked it to reverse. Absurd scenes followed: the traffic controller apologized for the mistake, and the train retreated 300 meters to clear the line.

Let us recall that a month ago, on September 13, 2024, two commuter rail trains were moving in opposite directions on the same line in Agioi Anargyros, a few hundred meters from the central station of Larissa. The collision was avoided due to the fact that the driver of one of the trains heard on the radio an incorrect command given by the OSE dispatcher to the SKA.

In the latest incident, Hellenic Train imposed a penalty of withdrawal of a navigation certificate on a driver who took the wrong line, even at very low speed. However, the HOC did not announce any punishment for the switchman who failed to switch the switches properly and also did not respond to the driver's calls.

In a letter sent to the RAS and the Greek Train Association, PEPA demands an immediate investigation into the incident and asks for the results of the investigation to be sent, condemning the management of Hellenic Train, which “systematically refuses to communicate its internal findings to our association.”

In addition, she recalls another incident that occurred on 9/9/2014 in Livadia, when the train began to move, and a passenger hung on the door, which threatened serious injuries. Regarding the Livadia incident, PEPE claims that the drivers fully complied with procedures, but Hellenic Train tried to shift the blame to others, writing in a public statement that “both the drivers and flight attendants did not follow the required procedures.”

In this statement, Hellenic Train claimed that the incident was being “thoroughly investigated” but the disciplinary process has not yet been completed and pressure is reportedly coming from political figures.

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