The draft law of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport “Restructuring of the railway sector and strengthening of transport regulatory bodies” was voted by a majority in the Production and Trade Committee and on Thursday it will be introduced for discussion and voting in the Plenary. The ND was “in favor” of the draft law on the Authority. PASOK – KINAL, SYRIZA, KKE, New Left and Niki voted against, while Hellenic Solution, Freedom Sailing, Spartans reserved their place in the Plenary.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Staikouras at the conclusion of the second reading of the bill, he pointed out that according to the decade-long data he submitted to the Committee, it emerged that “the problems of the Greek railway are timeless”, noting that if one looks at the events recorded in them they were not trivial but were equally serious and dangerous as they also involved escapes of trains, derailments on a shunting line, damage to trains and installations, rear-end collisions with another train, train collisions with an obstacle on the track, drifts, train splits, etc. The fact that these incidents are emerging today, the minister reiterated that “it is right, because it is a serious issue and we should all work together to strengthen transport safety”

Finding Tempo

Regarding the conclusion of the National Organization for the Investigation of Air and Railway Accidents (E.O.D..A.A.M) for Tempi, the minister said that “this will also be with the participation in the investigation of the European Railway Organization. Additional funds from the ministry were requested and provided at an unsuspected time by the EODD.A.AM for further investigations by additional agencies abroad to help their work.” Asked how he can be in a position to know that E.O.D..A.A.M. will have its conclusion ready at the end of February, the minister replied that “I know this from the written request submitted by Organization at the ministry in order to be granted space for the publication of the finding”.

Thessaloniki Metro

Mr. Staikouras, regarding the criticisms of the opposition for the shutdown that occurred on Saturday in the Thessaloniki Metro, emphasized “that all safety protocols were absolutely followed. What you saw, what you observed is absolutely what the safety protocols provide. This had to be done and it was done.” Responding to the criticism that it is possible that there was damage, the minister said that “the day before yesterday, the corresponding Metro of Copenhagen stopped its operation for half an hour and its inauguration took place two months ago. In the new Metro of Milan, the day after its inauguration, its operation was stopped throughout the network for two hours. In the Sydney Metro, on August 24, about 150 citizens were left inside the Metro for two hours and the same incident had happened on July 13.” Mr. Staikouras therefore said “nothing happened that does not happen in other metros abroad. Obviously, it is the will and intention of all of us that there are no such incidents and we do everything we can to prevent them from happening.” At the same time, the minister pointed out that “it is positive that with the provision that we passed through the Parliament – and which was also voted in favor by the official opposition, as well as all the other parties declared “present” and in any case did not vote against it – with which we agreed in which procedure had to be followed for the certification of good and safe operation of the Metro. However, everything we had predicted was done and among them was the certification by an Independent Certification Body”. Mr. Staikouras, among other things, pointed out that “all Metro trains stopped automatically just to ensure safety”. The minister said that despite the incident and what is being said, the people of Thessaloniki trust the Metro, so in the next two days, 200,000 trips were made, 27,000 personalized cards were issued. From the first day of operation of the Thessaloniki Metro until today, more than 700,000 movements have been made, more than 150,000 tickets have been purchased and we have at least 10% less vehicle traffic in the center of Thessaloniki.

Regarding queues at automatic ticket machines and ticket offices, Mr. Staikouras said that “an effort is being made to limit them and it is a matter of the next few days that there are no delays”.

On the bill

The minister, responding to questions and allegations proposed by opposition MPs, regarding the bill, stated that: The 2016 Directive on the safety and interoperability of the Greek railways has not been fully integrated and the problems in the Greek railway, based on the European Commission, they are timeless. The action plan approved by the government after consultation and agreement with the Commission Services forms the basis for addressing the deficiencies. The Commission itself announced yesterday that it finds satisfactory progress in the implementation of the plan in its text. He called it contradictory for the opposition parties to vote against a bill, when even the bodies that called for it said it was moving in a positive direction. He pointed out that DE employees are allowed to be assigned to the Accident Investigation Authority, only exceptionally and under certain strict conditions (they must hold special certifications of aircraft mechanics and aircraft operators or an air traffic controller’s license and additionally have at least 10 years of service or experience in the relevant field). The minister clarified that the VAT number of OSE is not abolished as it is the absorbing company of the others. The new management of the new company resulting from the mergers will be appointed according to the “Kerameos Law”. All the prescribed publications will be made normally in GEMI and concern the decisions of General Assemblies and Boards of Directors. The Reports of all the Authorities are foreseen to be forwarded to the president of the Parliament as is the case for all the Independent Authorities. For the staffing of the OSCE, Mr. Staikouras said that 120 people have been hired with Proof of Service Provision, 140 permanent staff are expected to be hired at the beginning of 2025, ten days ago 100 permanent staff positions have been approved by the Ministry of the Interior and they wear mainly engineers, various specialties and staff. This recruitment process will begin in early 2025 with completion planned by the end of the year. These recruitments have also been included in the November progress report that has been sent to the European Commission, as part of the business plan. Regarding the Collective Labor Agreements and other labor relations, the minister said that for the years 2024 – 2025 they have been signed, they are valid and the two companies to be merged are included in the single payroll and everything else will be resolved by the new company. He pointed out that the rolling stock is owned by the Greek state, GEOSE only has the management of that which will now be managed by the new company that is being established. After the passing of the bill, a ministerial decision will be issued for the registration and assessment of the rolling stock and the issues of the quantitative delivery – receipt of the material, the contracts and the technical evaluation procedures by the new body will be regulated. He clarified that in GEOSE there are no permanent employees or with IDAO contracts, but some independent service contracts that can continue in the new company with the same status. The Register of APA Inspectors is set up to complete the institutional framework of operation of the Inspectors in the areas that cannot reasonably be covered by the existing APA Inspectors employees. The aim of the Registry is to fill the gaps in the APA in specialized Inspectors in the fields of aircraft operators, helicopters and new technology aircraft, which are impossible to draw from other public services. APA has a staff of 135 people, has significantly increased its number and according to international audits has the necessary organizational structure in accordance with the requirements of the international organization. For the recruitment of air traffic controllers, Mr. Staikouras said that with the participation of Eurocontrol, the recruitment of the first 97 will begin using a modern and immutable system, in addition, this process will create a pool of successful candidates for the continuous flow of air traffic controllers in the next three years, thus ensuring the coverage existing and future vacancies. For the problem of modernizing the existing air traffic systems, an ambitious program is being implemented with 13 key projects for the five-year period 2025 – 2029 with a budget of 313 million. euro. With regard to the possibility of preventing foreigners or retired controllers, these are fixed-term contracts to cover immediate and urgent needs for firefighting, rescue and the needs of moving personnel who operate radio aids in the very small regional airports and nothing more, according to the requirements of the EAZ. Mr. Staikouras, stated that the goal is to cover the gaps for the years 2024 and 2025 with personnel transfers, after which we expect to have permanent staff. Finally, the minister clarified that the Air and Rail Accident Investigation Agency is allowed to receive income from Eurocontrol.