The completion of the ex officio investigation into the Tempe train accident was announced on Wednesday by the Railway Regulatory Authority.

The investigation was carried out by the competent Railway Safety and Interoperability Unit (RSA) of RAS and focused on two fields:

First: In detecting violations related to the regulations and provisions of the railway legislation.

Secondly: In the correct implementation of the Safety Management Systems which the Hellenic Railway Organization (OSE) and the Railway Company Hellenic Train S.A. are obliged to draw up and adhere to. through which they assess, control and prevent any risk.

The Rail Regulatory Authority’s experts collected, researched and assessed in detail documents, information, testimonies and audios relating to the Infrastructure Manager and Railway Undertaking staff involved in the accident, completing the investigation in a reasonable time.

After the end of the ex officio investigation, the scientific staff of the Security Unit drew up a conclusion/audit report, in which the the looming violations of the regulations and the provisions of the railway legislation as well as the requirements of the Safety Management Systems (SMS) of OSE and Hellenic Train SA

The Plenary Session of the Railway Regulatory Authority, to which the conclusion/audit report of MASD was submitted, decided to immediately call the Hellenic Railway Organization and Hellenic Train AE to a hearing with the purpose of checking the alleged violations.

As soon as the prescribed procedure of the hearing in which the parties involved will present their positions on the offenses attributed to them is completed, it will the final decision is issued of the Railway Regulatory Authority for the Tempe accident.

This particular decision will include in detail the alleged violations of the railway legislation and the imposition of the relevant sanctions that they entail. The relevant recommendations for improving the safety systems of the controlled railway operators will also be recorded, which will have the character of binding compliance proposals.