In its statement, Hellenic Train had announced that it was investigating the causes of the incident, which occurred on Wednesday, October 9, at Dukissis Plakentias station, and that the staff involved had been suspended. The company said it was working with authorities and following strict security protocols to improve the safety of the rail network.

In response, the train drivers strongly refuted these allegations. “Hellenic Train is fully aware that the train driver had a clear signal to proceed and stopped the train before entering the metro line, while repeatedly attempting to contact the SKA station master,” said the union in their statement.

The drivers pointed out that this was the second incident in the SKA area in the past month, both of which were avoided thanks to their swift actions. They accused Hellenic Train of attempting to shift attention away from the ongoing problems in Greece’s railway network by blaming staff instead of addressing the root causes.

PEPE also criticised Hellenic Train for other failures, such as selling tickets with unrealistic timetables that lead to frequent delays and passenger frustration directed at staff. The union also highlighted the poor condition of the ETR 470 trains, with only two or three operational out of five, and drivers having to hold umbrellas to shield themselves from rain leaking into the cabs.

“The ones who should be suspended are the managers of Hellenic Train, not the employees,” the union said. They added that the company’s leadership, particularly CEO Mr. Zeliaskopoulos, is imposing penalties on staff who speak out about the real problems or adhere to internal safety procedures aimed at protecting the public.

The statement concluded with a reference to the tragic Tempe train crash in February 2023, where crucial safety measures like remote control were absent. “As Mr. Terezakis himself admitted, when remote control systems are functioning, trains are stopped before any danger. On the night of February 28 in Larissa, those systems did not exist,” they said.

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