The authorities are looking for the causes of the fatal accident with the collision of the two threes in Tempi, alongside the large rescue and extrication operation that is underway.

The first person to be brought in for deposition and arrested is the station master. In addition to the 59-year-old, the case file that was formed also includes statements without trial – as suspects – and other factors who may bear a share of the responsibility, namely a representative of the company and the locksmith.

According to information, the 59-year-old station master stated in his testimony that he gave the order, by pressing the separation button, in order to separate the lines and for each train to follow its own route, on a different line. Something like that, as the station master stated, did not happen, because the system did not obey.

In his apology he is quoted as saying: “I pressed the button normally as the system is automated to change the line. So each train would enter a different track, but the system didn’t work.”

The questions that arise, however, are many:

1) Did the station master, after pressing the line separation button, check if the system implemented his command?

2)Why did the train enter the same line as the commercial train, when there are two lines in the network?

3) Did a delay of the passenger train in Paleofarsala, as its passengers complain, contribute to causing the accident?

4) Why is the light signaling system not working, which could have “corrected” any human error, or system error, such as the one cited by the station master.

After his pre-investigation apology, the station master will also apologize before the prosecutor, who is expected to bring the relevant prosecutions.

The station master was arrested – He had been in his post for a short time

The station master of the OSE was also officially arrested a while ago by the Larissa Traffic Department, as the arrest report was signed by the prosecutor, who is monitoring the investigations into the unspeakable tragedy outside of Tempi.

THE station masteraged 59, according to the Police, is characterized as the culprit of the accident and is accused, among others, of manslaughter under article 302 of the Criminal Code), bodily harm by negligence (314 PC) and dangerous interference with the transport of vehicles (291 PC) .

According to information, the 59-year-old station master was appointed to his post just a month ago, while information that he was a former porter is being checked.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Citizen Protection Takis Theodorikakos is already in Larissa, starting the meetings he will have as part of the investigation, from the region of Thessaly.

Live image from the scene of the accident

What did he support in the deposition?

According to information from SKAI, the arrested stationmaster of Larissain his hours-long testimony, said he ordered a change in trajectory but the system did not obey.

As the Sky reporter reported, Theodosis Panoseverything will become clear when the recorded conversations in the crucial minutes before the moment of the collision reach the hands of the authorities investigating the tragedy.

Earlier the stationmaster had been arrested, with the main responsibilities placed on him for the tragic train accident in Tempe.

The locksmith was summoned for an explanation and gave a statement without trial to the Larissa Traffic Department, which conducts the preliminary investigation and gathers the voluminous case file for this unprecedented railway accident.

Expert’s statement to SKAI: It is not possible for a train driver to change lanes by himself

The expert An. Dedes, speaking to SKAI, tried to explain – with the data he has so far – the reason why the two trains collided, stressing that the fact that there was no visual field played its role, but the most important was the signalers which did not work, neither now nor in the past.

“Basic evidence is emerging to draw an initial conclusion. The basic facts are that we have a line change, from the uphill line to the downhill line of the particular intercity that ran a route from Athens to Thessaloniki.

By order of the station master, because the driver cannot change the line by himself, the line has been changed and the train in Larissa entered the descent line instead of continuing up.

The reason why this was done will be clarified by the evidence that will emerge, i.e. if there was a problem with the electrification of the anode or something else.

What enhanced the progression of the accident was the non-functioning of the traffic light and signaling system of the specific line.

And if a mistake is made by a train driver or a station master and a train takes a different line, the safety valve is the light signaling, which did not work, just as they did not work before.

They weren’t working at all because from what I heard, although the systems were installed, both on the train and on the tracks, they weren’t updated to work. That is, the train software was not compatible with the other software.

People left because of the criminal negligence of those in charge and because the systems did not work. For me there is a traffic safety violation, which is a felony.

From the information I have, the intercity speed can reach 160 km at this point. If we multiply this speed by the mass of the six wagons, close to 300 tons, we get a huge momentum.

Correspondingly, in this train that was going down again, the signaling did not work and there was no visual contact – as one was coming out of the tunnel – so that they could brake even a little.”