From December 15, 2023 – and despite the persistent appeals of train drivers – they remain unguarded three main crossings on the Thessaloniki-Serres axis, because the OSE does not… find spare parts for the mechanisms.

Watch the video from the unguarded crossing:

Serious questions for the safety of train drivers and passengers a year after Tempi are raised by the video of a passenger train passing through an unguarded crossing on the Thessaloniki-Serres axis, at the height of Doirani. It is known that the train driver reduces speed while approaching the unguarded – but busy mainly for trucks – crossing and seconds later, a security worker steps off the train and steps into the role of conductor, ensuring the smooth passage of the passenger train while informing passing vehicle drivers to wait.

The medieval conditions of the OSE

According to information on ThessToday.gr, on the Thessaloniki-Serres axis the three main crossings remain out of operation and unguarded from December 15, 2023. The reason is, according to complaints, because the OSE cannot find spare parts for the mechanism that activates the system safety, i.e. to lower the bars at the moment the passenger train passes. It is characteristic, the fact that for three months and despite the “voices” of the train drivers, the company constantly renews the deadline for correcting the issue: From the end of January it was moved to February 15, then at the end of February and now they were informed of a new, unknown date and while the routes are running normally with the risk of accidents.

The danger in case of rain

In the same document, the minimum distance that separates the passenger train from the truck is established. A train driver who performs this route explains to ThessToday.gr that in case of rain and due to the slippery tracks, the scenario could have been completely different. “We have been shouting about this issue for months. It is an ordinary, everyday image. Now, both we and the truck drivers know how to move. We always reduce speed before approaching this crossing, which is the largest and busiest on this axis,” he said, highlighting the dangers posed by these conditions. “As we have seen in the past train drivers not being able to stop the trains in time by the braking system due to the slipperiness, there is a fear that in case of rain, accidents may occur. Someone must finally listen to us, because a year after Tempi, the situation in OSE remains dramatic, perhaps worse than it was before the tragedy”, he said.