In the gloom that followed the deadliest rail disaster in Greece’s history, a sliver of hope had emerged that the shock created by the loss of 57 lives would help the long-neglected rail system to start upgrading its services and maintenance.
Those responsible insist on their good intentions and willingness to act. But systemic issues, infrastructure shortages and service deficiencies remain.
Rail executives with knowledge of the problems tell Kathimerini that long-term neglect calls for at least a 10-year effort to make the network safe for its users.
The issues seem daunting: safety systems left unused to literally rot and requiring unforeseen expenditure to repair or reorder in order to meet European Train Control System standards; personnel shortages; delays in scheduling that affect passenger experience; gaps in training drivers and stationmasters; and the ever-present danger of another tragedy, as evidenced by a series of frequent mishaps: a falling tree breaking the line; another tree falling on and damaging a conductor’s cabin; an Athens Suburban Railway train coming seconds away from diverting into the metro network last October. Plus, the threat of fines by the European Union for Greece’s failure to adhere to safety standards, which, given the long list of problems plaguing the country’s railways, almost seems of least concern.
Hellenic Railways (OSE), in charge of the network and its maintenance, and route operator Hellenic Train, Italian-owned since 2017, often point out each other’s shortcomings. “Your infrastructure’s got problems,” train conductors tell OSE. Works are still severely behind schedule.