The almost ten-year delay in the implementation of the maintenance contract for the signaling and remote control system left the country’s railway network without safety barriers. The result is tragic
The things that see the light of day about the oligarchy surrounding the operation of the system are also infuriating signaling and remote control, which left the country’s rail network without safety alternatives. It is a sinful story, which, it seems, will now concern the Justice Department in the shadow of the Tempe tragedy.
According to the SKAI TV report, the nearly ten-year delay in the implementation of the maintenance contract for the signaling and remote control system has left the country’s railway network without safety barriers. The result is tragic…
“There was no mechanism to prevent human error,” expert Giorgos Perivoliotis told SKAI.
When did Greece get the system?
The electronic signaling and remote control system purchased in the 2000s and as reported by OSE employees remained operational until 2010. However, due to malfunctions and repeated incidents of sabotage, the electronic system fell into disrepute and was eventually rendered obsolete.
“Until 2010-2011-2012 there was remote control in the technical railway network from Kiato to the airport and from Athens, the exit of Athens in the SKA to Thessaloniki, Idomeni and Strymona, Promachona…. The question why we don’t have it today is because in 2010-2011, for various reasons, remote control fell. The signaling began to malfunction for various reasons” noted the OSE management consultant Panagiotis Terezakis.
In order to make the system operational again, a contract was signed in 2014 between ERGOSE and the TOMI and Alstom companies. The project budget was 41 million euros, and the implementation time in 2016.
However, due to successive extensions, a total of seven in number, with the last in December 2022, the implementation of the project remains pending to this day.
“If even simple signaling worked and the train left Larissa, outside the station, it would directly encounter a red light which the driver would not have seen, it would have stopped later because there would have been an emergency break because it would have been automated” he commented the expert Anastadios Dedes.
“The only part that works”
In the period 2021 – 2022, the contractor company delivered the sections of the project between Domoko – Tithorea and Promachona – Thessaloniki.
As Yiannis Ditsas, president of the Panhellenic Railway Federation, pointed out, “the only part where the remote control works and you can see the train going, the dots we say, is Tithorea – Domokos”.
Although the Rail Regulatory Authority (RAR) had imposed fines in OSE and Hellenic Train for insufficient maintenance and staff shortages the tragedy was not avoided.
“RAS did checks if there is secondary traffic control OSE TRAINOSE?” said former OSE security director Christos Retsinas.
Just a month ago, Parliament passed a law to establish a railway accident investigation committee. This committee is expected to be activated for the first time for the fatal accident in Tempe.
Source: Skai
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