“The discovery of the real recording and the absence of a cover-up,” said Minister of State Giorgos Gerapetritis.responsible for infrastructure and transport issues, opinion of the Committee of Experts on accident in Tempestating: “Those who have criticized the Commission for its objectivity and the government for its intentions would do well to engage in self-criticism.”

As the minister noted, in the context of informing journalists, the conclusion is made public so that there is full transparency on an issue in which there is a reasonable public interest.

“We undertook to present the opinion of independent experts as soon as possible, which will accurately and impartially record the data of the tragic incident. In 43 days, the Commission completed an extremely complex and painstaking job. Despite what has been said by political selfishness that the Commission is manipulative and biased, as you will find, this is a real conclusion and not a conclusion about a cover-up,” he said.

The conclusion carefully analyzes the circumstances of the accident, looks back at the regulatory framework of the railway and its shortcomings, fixes the route of contracts for the modernization of security systems and delays in their implementation. He added that in relation to the accident, the conclusion notes serious human violations of the existing Rules of the Road, and in relation to the organizational structures of the railway – systemic violations, many of which are of a long-term nature.

Despite the reservations that can be made on certain points of the opinion, which have already been answered and will be further clarified, as the minister noted, the opinion reflects the scientific judgment of the members of the Commission.

“It goes without saying that the conclusion analyzes the facts and does not judge,” he stressed, adding that “in this respect, the task of assigning responsibility belongs exclusively to the competence of the judicial function. And, of course, all conclusions are subject to the self-evident regime of the presumption of innocence of all those involved.

Finally, proposals are included to improve the functionality and safety of railways. It is important that most of these proposals have already been implemented by the ministry or are under development.

As immediate measures, they propose to reopen the Athens-Thessaloniki railway line, measures until the completion of the installation of signaling lights that increase the level of security, always provided that the movement is carried out with the phone blocked, concern two separate areas. : strengthening the human factor – ensuring the operability of technical facilities, maintaining the infrastructure of the line, technical work on bridges and tunnels, preventing vandalism and theft in the network by tightening the framework and reducing the morale of workers.

In terms of medium-term measures, they propose the installation of light signaling, telecontrol and ECTS on most of the rest of the network, the modernization of railway stations, and a new administrative model. Restoring confidence in the railroad, highlighting the environmental benefits of railroads.

With regard to long-term measures, the Commission proposes the construction of new lines. The main condition for the development of railway transport in Greece is the availability of appropriate infrastructure. Given that infrastructure projects that are underway or planned to be completed, Greek Railways is expected to have the minimum infrastructure necessary to play a competitive role in Greece and the wider region.

According to the Minister of State, the network has reopened under strict security conditions and the response from the passenger public is extremely positive with a very high occupancy rate reaching 100%, proving the confidence that is slowly being restored.. With regard to additional staff, after the adoption of the legislative provisions, the recruitment through ACEP of 140 people and the reinstatement of 160 guards at crossings whose contracts have expired are being implemented immediately.

As Mr. Gerapetritis added, the tunnels were checked and the necessary lighting and fire protection/fire detection measures were taken. The offenses of theft and theft of railway material have already been legally criminalized and ELAS has been activated at key points to secure the network.

Regarding the contracts for signaling and remote control (including the ETCS system), they are moving at a fast pace and will be completed on time, at the end of September this year.

In the context of railway modernization in Greece, important international cooperation has taken place over the past 45 days. On the one hand, an agreement has been reached with the European Commission and the European Railway Organization on the assessment of the organizational model of the railways and the assessment of the causes of the accident (with the horizon for completion of the corresponding report in September 2023).

At the same time, he said, the ministry is pushing applications to the Commission for funding to maintain and expand the network. On the other hand, an agreement has been reached with the French government and the French railway company SNCF to provide OSE with expertise in various areas, including training in the most important railway specialties, where the expert opinion reveals possible shortcomings. For this reason, in fact, the French delegation headed by the Minister of Transport will arrive in Athens next week to sign the relevant memorandum of cooperation. According to the minister, he is also in contact with the Minister of Transport of Italy, with whom, in addition to the communication that he will have in the coming days, he will try to have a personal meeting.

“The Greek government continues to be responsible for the full and final clarification of the circumstances of the accident at Tempe and the return of the railway to a safe and functional condition,” said Mr. Gerapetritis. In response to related questions, he repeated that the conclusion is not mandatory for the investigation and is not a court verdict.

He pointed out that on the night of the accident both the traffic control panel and the local console were working normally, however, although automatic traffic markings were mandatory, this did not appear to be automatic. , in accordance with the rules of railway traffic.

Finally, the minister paid tribute to the railway workers and the administrations of the OGE and ERGOSE for the efforts being made both to restore the network and to return passengers to the environment in a safe environment.

With information from APE-MPE

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