The fall of the pole of the aerial network of trolleys, early September in South Philadelphia, resulting in the minor injury of a 14-year-old girl, is due to the large tensile forces exerted on the tensioner, i.e. the upper part of the pole (far greater than its breaking point), which was hooked on the trolley antennas, according to the conclusion of the Commission established to immediately investigate the causes of the incident.

In particular, the OSY in its announcement states “In order to put an end to all paraphilology developed by non-specialists, the Commission’s Conclusion as a finding typically states:

From the on-site inspection of the epiton, it emerged that it reached and exceeded its breaking limit, which is 3.5 tons as can be seen from the specifications, as a result of which it broke. According to the Commission’s assessment and inspection of the rebar, it broke because it was stretched with forces exceeding its breaking point. Hence the aforementioned force of 3.5 tn (3500kp) was applied to the support point of the epiton, i.e. at the upper end of the post in relation to the fixed plane where it was implanted. Due to the hooking of the epiton on the head of the vehicle and taking into account the total mass of the vehicle (about 15 tn) but also the low speed (from 1-2km/h at least) that it had developed, it is concluded that a pulling force was exerted on the epiton ( estimated momentum P=m*u=15,000kgr*2km/h=8,400kgr*m/sec) much greater than its breaking limit, which in turn was transferred and exerted on the pole. This resulted in the pole folding in the direction of the Trolley vehicle. This was also found during the initial inspection of the pole, on the day of the incident, where it appeared that the pole had not been completely cut off at its base, but that a part of it remained attached to the base.”

With reference to the contract for the replacement of the network of poles, in the same announcement it is noted:

The project was included in the NSRF with the co-financing of national resources in 2011 and was never completed as the company that had undertaken the contract (through a competitive tender having submitted a particularly high discount, which was not invited as it should have been justified by the then Tender Committee) as later it turned out that he did not have the staff, nor the corresponding machines and materials to carry out the project.

Due to late completion – despite the extensions – the project was included in the NSRF funding at the end of 2015. Between the contractor and OSY. S.A. a legal dispute is developing for the non-completion of the contract.

In the period from the involvement of the previous contract until its disengagement and the possibility of planning a new Tender, the competent Overhead Networks Department, by order of the Administration from 2020, carries out checks on the entire Network and proceeds with the repair or replacement of poles where this is required.

At the same time, the relevant Directorate has collected the required data for the compilation of Tender documents entitled “Open electronic tender, with the awarding criterion of the most advantageous offer from an economic point of view, based only on the price, for the selection of the Contractor who will undertake the repair/ replacement of support poles for the overhead electric power supply network in the electric buses of the O.SY. S.A. and carrying out a periodical control of the poles in the active and inactive aerial electrical network of O.SY. S.A.”

In April 2024, the final draft of the Declaration was drawn up.

In June 2024, the technical descriptions and the study of the project were completed.

On 26/08/24, all the issues and the Declaration were completed with the aim of conducting the said Competition after and approval of the Board of Directors. until the end of September 2024.