Greece to install remote train control systems by September

Greece plans to equip its railways with remote control systems and real-time tracking by September, aiming to improve safety after the country’s deadliest train disaster.

Greece will install remote train control systems across its entire railway network by September, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Monday. The move comes more than two years after the country’s worst rail disaster, which killed 57 people, most of them students.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Mitsotakis said automatic remote braking and train control systems (ETCS) would be introduced, alongside real-time train tracking to prevent potential collisions. Accident investigators had earlier indicated that such systems could have averted the 2023 disaster and warned that safety gaps persist.

The collision between a passenger and a freight train on 28 February 2023 highlighted years of neglect in Greece’s railway infrastructure. Public frustration remains high, with mass protests marking the disaster’s second anniversary.

Greece has previously delayed a 2014 EU-co-funded project to install ETCS and driver-controller communication systems, and several Greek officials have been charged with malpractice over the contract. Mitsotakis reaffirmed plans to modernise the country’s 2,400 km railway network by 2027.

The Prime Minister also stated that the government would overhaul the Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE), including raising wages, hiring staff, and enhancing performance monitoring. Hellenic Train, operated by Italy’s Ferrovie dello Stato, would be required to make further investments.

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