In a statement, the Association denounces what it calls new provocative “gifts” to the company, at a time when senior executives are facing only misdemeanour charges and railway workers report authoritarian treatment and intimidation when they raise concerns about safety shortcomings.
According to the statement, the government is proceeding with the renewal of the contract originally signed in April 2022, submitting the relevant amendment for parliamentary approval. The Association highlights that annual subsidies of €50m to Hellenic Train are being maintained, with the added provision that payments will now be made faster, through monthly advances instead of six-monthly instalments.
It also notes that the amended contract allows the company to regulate and increase ticket prices according to demand. At the same time, the implementation of investments in critical technological safety systems is once again being postponed. While these investments were due to be completed by 31 December 2024 under the original agreement, the new deadline is extended to 31 December 2027, with an additional one-year grace period.
The Association argues that these repeated and unjustified extensions perpetuate practices that in the past have cost human lives. It also draws attention to delays in essential infrastructure works, including the restoration of damage caused by the extreme weather event Daniel in Thessaly, which has now been postponed from August 2026 to December 2028.
Concluding, the Tempe Victims’ Relatives Association states that despite the longstanding support shown by successive governments for major business interests, the families of the victims will continue their struggle to expose responsibilities and secure accountability for the Tempe crime, stressing that their aim is to ensure that “there will be no more Tempe.”
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