Ad war between her RAS (Railway Regulatory Authority) and his operating environment where one “throws the ball” of guilt to another occurred yesterday against the backdrop of a tragic accident in Tempe and the loss of 57 human lives. The “war” began over the statement of the Russian Academy of Sciences about incomplete and insufficient basic training in August 2022 of the station chiefs and key keepers of the UOS, including the fatal head of station Larissa involved in a fatal accident in Tempe on the evening of February 28 and is in custody.

This serious conclusion, however, regarding the insufficient training of persons employed in key positions to ensure the safety of citizens, was made not at the time, but after the accident occurred, and, in particular, in the context of an ex officio investigation of a head-on collision between two trains. The OSE, in a scathing response, accuses the RAS of “expressing opinions and making decisions without thorough investigation and documentation”, contradicting the points mentioned in its opinion, and stressing that the authorities were aware of the training program and approved it.

In particular, the authorities, having discovered insufficient training on the part of the OGE, oblige it not to replace those who were hired and trained during a certain apprenticeship cycle for responsible positions – the information states with a reservation that this is about 174-178 people, – most of which he worked with a service card.

Staff training is carried out by OSE, and RAS approves at the beginning of each year an annual training program drawn up by OSE. According to the agency, during a visit last week to OSE offices, the leaders of the organization presented a training manual (included in the training program for 2021) for the training of station managers, according to which 712 hours of theory and 75 days of practical training were organized. According to the direction of the OSE movement, as indicated in the message of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the second cycle of theory took place in parallel with practical exercises. However, the authority considers that the correct and complete basic training of traffic service personnel (stationmasters in Athens, Thessaloniki) is not documented in accordance with the requirements of the relevant training manual. Causes; It cannot be concluded with certainty that the station managers have completed the planned second cycle of theoretical training of 177 hours, which will be carried out in parallel with practical training after completion of the first cycle of 535 hours. This is due to the fact that documents were not submitted that show: signed attendance sheets of trainees during the first cycle of theoretical training in Thessaloniki and Athens program, the method of completing the remaining hours of theoretical training and the exact number of the total number of trainees. At the same time, certificates of competent inspectors on passing the second cycle of theoretical training and certification certificates on passing practical training do not appear. Thus, the RAS has indications that OSE has not properly provided a training program for personnel and systems.

The RAS obliges OSE not to fill critical positions with people who participated in the apprenticeship cycle last August.

Therefore, he found serious signs of violation by the OSE related to the security management system by calling the organization 5 days after notification of this decision: present his views with the relevant memorandum, propose immediate remedial measures so that his security management system is carried out in accordance with the current legislation, while it obliges him to remove from his post those candidates for the heads of stations who participated in the training process. In case of non-compliance with the OZE, the authorities threaten him with a fine of 100,000 euros per day.

“Confirmation not requested”

However, a sharp reaction from the OSE was caused by the statement of the Russian Academy of Sciences that in July 2022, with a document on “basic training of personnel in the road industry”, which was brought to the attention of the Russian Academy of Sciences, including by the department of education and training of the organization, approved the basic training – transport personnel. This document, the ESE said in a statement, “describes the process and subject of study, which are in line with the 2021 RAS-approved study guide. In addition, by a document dated March 9, 2023, the organization informed the supervisory authority in detail. on how to implement the second cycle” by providing: Apprenticeship Attendance-Practice Sheets, as well as teaching materials for theoretical training. The OGE notes that certificates of completion of educational programs were not requested from the department. “Certificates of completion of educational programs are certified by internal correspondence of the involved departments of the organization and are provided to any competent authority upon request. Therefore, it also ended up at the disposal of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which is entrusted with the responsibility for monitoring security issues, ”he says.

In the meantime, on the initiative of the Minister of State for Infrastructure and Transport, G. Gerapetritis, a Railway Safety Coordination Center is being established, headquartered in the Crisis Management Room of the OSE Acharna Railway Centre. The first meeting of the coordination center will take place on Saturday, March 18 and will bring together representatives from OSE, the fire department, ELAS, EKAB and Hellenic Train to coordinate activities related to the maintenance and modernization of the railway safety infrastructure.