On 28 February 2023, a head-on collision occurred between two trains, the InterCity 62, passenger train, and a freight train, south of the Tempi Valley, near the village of EvangelismosinThessaly, Greece. The collision resulted in the death of at least 57 people and injuries to at least 85 others. The delayed passenger train was carrying 342 passengers, many of whom were students in their 20s returning from Greek Orthodox Lent celebrations.
The section of the Athens-Thessaloniki mainlines where the accident occurred was double-tracked and equipped with automatic controls. However, switching and signalling were still being controlled manually. Following the disaster, vigils, angry protests, and riots broke out in Athens, Thessaloniki, and Larissa. On 2 March 2023, Greek rail workers went on strike to protest against working conditions and the failure to modernize the rail network.
Transport Minister Kostas Achilleas Karamanlis resigned from his post following the accident, citing his failure to bring the railway system up to 21st-century standards.
Background
The InterCity 62, passenger train, was operated by Hellenic Train, a subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane[2], and consisted of a rake of Hellenic Train UICZ1 coaches made by SiemensatSGP Graz and Bombardier at Dunakeszi Carriage Workshops, based on the Viaggio Classic platform (which itself is based on the ÖBB Modularwagen), pulled by HellasSprinter locomotive 120023.[3] The train was scheduled to arrive at Thessaloniki station at 11:35 p.m.EET.[4] The freight train was pulled by HellasSprinter locomotives 120012 and 120022.[5][6][1]
Earlier on the same day, an explosion in the electricity network at Palaiofarsalos railway station had caused the overhead line to fall on another intercity train, leading to several delays on the line.[7] The crash site is next to an overpass of the A1 motorway, on a stretch of line that opened in 2003 as part of a reconstruction of the Larissa to Thessaloniki segment of the main line.
Due to delays in implementing the European Train Control System (ETCS), there is a single block section from the exit signal at Larissa to the entry signal at Neoi Poroi, limiting the line throughput to seven trains per hour each way.[8] Single block means that the track is separated into a distinct segment that can be controlled and monitored independently from other sections of track. This is typically done for safety purposes so that trains can be prevented from entering a section of track that is already occupied by another train. The length of each block section can vary depending on factors such as train speed, signalling system, and track layout, but each section is treated as a separate unit that can only be occupied by one train at a time. ETCS implementation was initially planned for 2020 but is delayed to late 2023.[9][10]
This wreck followed a series of other rail accidents with no casualties.[11][12]
Collision
The InterCity 62, passenger train, which was scheduled to depart from AthenstoThessaloniki at 7:22 p.m Eastern European Time (UTC+2), left a few minutes behind schedule at approximately 7:30 p.m., carrying around 350 passengers. Many of the passengers were students in their20s returning after the long weekend for Greek OrthodoxLent celebration.[13] At the same time, a freight train carrying several flatcars loaded with shipping containers and plate steel was travelling from Thessaloniki to Larissa.[14][1]
The collision between the two trains occurred at 23:21 on the Athens-Thessaloniki mainline, which is operated by OSE, the Greek national railway company. The section where the accident took place, located 27.3 kilometres (17.0 miles) north of Larissa, was double-tracked and equipped with automatic controls, but switching and signalling were still being controlled manually.[15] The passenger train and the freight train collided head-on near Evangelismos just before midnight.[16][17] Due to the darkness at the time of the accident and the lack of time for the train drivers to react, it was estimated that the passenger train was travelling at speeds between 140 km/h (87 mph) and 160 km/h (99 mph).
In an interview with ERT, the governor of the Thessaly region, Kostas Agorastos, reported that the first four carriages of the passenger train were derailed, and the first two carriages caught fire and were "almost completely destroyed".[18] Passengers reportedly escaped the train through windows that were either broken in the crash or by themselves. Many panicked due to the chaotic scene, with some trapped in carriages that were tilted at least 45degrees. Rescuers were able to open some of the car doors.[18]
Numerous train cars caught fire following the collision, and 17vehicles and 150firefighters worked to extinguish the flames. Meanwhile, rescue efforts were made with the assistance of 40ambulances, and over 30police officers at the site.[19][20] The wreckage was so severe that crane trucks were used to help extricate vehicles.[21] The Hellenic Army was called upon to assist.[22] Some 250 surviving passengers, including those with minor injuries, were evacuated from the collision site by bus to Thessaloniki.[2][23][24]
Victims
Fifty-seven people were killed and 85 others were injured,[25][2][20] with 25 of them suffering serious injuries. Of the injured, 66 were hospitalized, with six being admitted to intensive care units.[1][6] Identifying some victims was challenging due to the high temperatures reaching up to 1,300 °C (2,370 °F) inside the first carriage.[18]
Two Cypriot students that were missing were found dead.[26] Five Albanian nationals were killed and five others were injured.
Aftermath
An emergency meeting was called by Greece's government following the crash, and Health Minister Thanos Plevris visited the scene.[27] President Katerina Sakellaropoulou cut short her visit to Moldova to offer support to the victims.[28] Transport Minister Kostas Achilleas Karamanlis resigned after the train crash, stating at the scene of the accident that it was his responsibility to do so "as a basic indication of respect for the memory of the people who died so unfairly", also going on to say that he "failed to bring the railway system to 21st century standards".[29][30]
Protests
In the aftermath of the disaster, vigils, angry protests, and riots occurred in Athens, Thessaloniki, and Larissa.[13]
Greek rail workers went on strike on 2 March 2023 protesting against working conditions and the failure to modernise the rail network.[31]
Investigation
After the crash, two rail officials were questioned by police.[32] One of them, a stationmaster, was arrested and charged with causing death and harm through negligence.[33] The person in charge of the investigation is Stamatis Daskalopoulos, a public prosecutor for Larisa. He was assigned to the investigation by Supreme Court prosecutor Isidoros Dogiakos. He notified the public that though the investigation is still at a very early stage, the authorities will continue to examine all the evidence and bring justice to whoever is responsible.[34] The Larissa railway station manager claimed that the switch from the up line (northbound) to the down line (southbound) was not functioning[35] and that the passenger train should have stayed on the up line to avoid the freight train. He also claimed to have let the train through a red signal.[36]
It is unclear why the stationmaster did not realize the passenger train was not present on the northbound track, or why the driver of the passenger train did not question switching tracks and being let through a red light when they were not meant to do so. This could be due to signalling issues being common in Greece.[37]
The tragedy occurred amidst growing demands[38] for the approval by Parliament[39] of the Rail Accident Investigation Board[40] (Greek: Επιτροπή Διερεύνησης Σιδηροδρομικών Ατυχημάτων και Συμβάντων, romanized: Epitropi Dierevnisis Sidirodromikon Atychimaton Kai Symvanton), an independent body tasked with investigating accidents causing death, serious injuries, or extensive damage on the Greek railway network.[41] It is required by EU law, and Greece was brought to court over it two weeks before the accident.[42] Three weeks before the crash, the rail workers' union had pointed out problems with the administration of the rail network which could put the passengers in danger.[43]
Reactions
Following the train crash, the Greek government declared a three-day period of mourning, during which all flags were flown at half-mast and celebratory events were postponed.[44] The STASY metro workers' union suspended planned strike action on the Athens Metro out of respect for the victims.[45] The president of the train drivers' association, Kostas Genidounias, said that the electronic systems that warn drivers of danger have not been functional for some years. "Nothing works, everything is done manually. We are 'in manual mode' throughout the Athens-Thessaloniki network," he stated, making clear, too, that indicators, signal lights and electronic traffic control – all formerly working – are now all out of service and have been replaced by human oversight.[46][47]
On 2 and 3 March 2023, the Panhellenic Union of Train Personnel walked out in protest of the risks associated with the crash.[13] Former Greek finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis blamed the crash on railway privatization, comparing it to the Ladbroke Grove rail crash that occurred in London in 1999.[48]
Reactions to the collision involved scuffles that broke out within days afterwards in Athens with police firing tear gas into crowds that gathered in front of the train operators headquarters.[49]
Flags outside the European Commission building in Brussels were also lowered to half-mast the morning after the accident.[50]Albania declared 5 March as a day of national mourning with flags at half-mast in the country, as show of respect for the victims.[51]
^Print proceedings of the ASME 2018 Joint Rail Conference (JRC2018) (1st ed.). American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 2018. ISBN978-0-7918-5097-8. OCLC1061074717.
^Network, European Data Journalism. "'Warning, No Signal'". European Data Journalism Network. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
^Kokkinidis, Tasos (1 March 2023). "Train Collision in Greece: Electronic Systems 'Not Working for Years'". GreekReporter.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023. 'Nothing works, everything is done manually ...' throughout the Athens-Thessaloniki network ... neither the indicators, the traffic lights, nor the electronic traffic control is working ... no telemonitoring, or photo-signalling system is working ... in the past electronic systems worked ... security precautions in Greece's railway system are archaic ... .
