The fine comes after a months-long investigation by RAS into the stoppage of five trains on the country’s central railway axis and the great inconvenience suffered by passengers on January 24, 2022.
An administrative fine of 300,000 euros is imposed on Hellenic Train SA by the Railway Regulatory Authority, for the great suffering suffered by 820 passengers, exposed to extreme weather conditions, on January 24, 2022.
The fine comes after the months-long investigation by RAS into the stoppage of the five trains of the company Hellenic Train AE on the central railway axis of the country and the great suffering suffered by the passengers on January 24, 2022.
The ex officio investigation showed serious violations of provisions of the European Regulation on the rights and obligations of Passengers (EC 1371/2007). In fact, in the multi-month investigation carried out in three phases due to the complexity of the process and the new data that emerged due to the universal application of the provisions of European Regulation 1371/2007, it appears that the passengers who have not been compensated to date, are deprived of any information about the their rights to compensation.
As the president of the Railway Regulatory Authority Ioanna Tsiaparikou points out, “Hellenic Train AE did not take immediate action to organize alternative transport services for the passengers, who, not only did not arrive at an alternative place of departure or at their final destination in time, but they were exposed for hours in very difficult weather conditions. The passengers suffered physically and mentally by being trapped inside the trains and inside or outside the stations, without having timely, complete and clear information about the execution of their itineraries”.
With its decision, in addition to the fine, the Railway Regulatory Authority obliges the company to a series of commitments towards passengers, which were not respected in this particular incident, despite the claims of the audited ex officio company.
In particular, and after the completion of the ex officio investigation, the Railway Regulatory Authority decided the following:
A. Finds violations of articles 8 §2, 18 §§1, 2c, 3 and 28 §1 of the European Regulation (EC) 1371/2007 “regarding the rights and obligations of railway passengers” by the railway company under the name Hellenic Train AE, during the stoppage of trains: 885/Kalambaka-Athens, IC54/Athens-Thessaloniki, IC55/ Thessaloniki-Athens) IC56/Athens-Thessaloniki and IC57/Thessaloniki-Athens, which took place on 24.1.2022.
B. Imposes on the railway company “Hellenic Train AE” for the aforementioned violations the fine of three hundred thousand euros (300,000.00 euros).
C. Obliges the railway company “Hellenic Train AE” to refrain from violating all the provisions of Regulation (EC) 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of October 23, 2007 “regarding the rights and obligations of railway passengers” in the future.
D. Calls the railway company “Hellenic Train AE” within one month of notification of this decision:
D1. To provide passengers with adequate information about their rights and obligations in real time so that, when concluding the contract of carriage, passengers have received information about their rights and obligations under this contract. The information may be provided in an alternative format, but it must be accessible to disabled people and directly accessible to passengers so that, if they can make reservations or pay tickets at the station, they are informed at the station and not they are referred to the internet only for their information.
D2. To make the required and necessary amendments (a) to its General Conditions of Carriage (GOME), (b) procedure GEN/PRO/0081 “Traffic Control and Management” and (c) procedure GEN/PRO/0087 “Travel Information” so that their content, on the one hand, fully meets the requirements of all the provisions of Regulation (EC) 1371/2007 and its Annexes, and on the other hand, the way of application and implementation of these procedures is documented, so that it becomes the relevant control by the Authority is possible.
D3. To inform the passengers of the aforementioned trains, who have not yet been compensated, with relevant information which it will provide not only on its official website but also with relevant press releases, so that they are aware of their relevant rights.
E. Threatens the railway company with the imposition of a fine or other measures, if the RAS decision confirms the continuation or omission of the violations established herein.
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