Passenger trains have resumed running on the line between Athens and Thessaloniki, which had been closed since February 28 after a very serious accident that killed 57 people. Greece is promising to invest heavily in signaling, but until it does, it will have to slow down trains and introduce additional regulations to avoid danger.

There are 502 km between Athens and Thessaloniki, and the fastest IC trains ran 4 hours before the accident. Ticket prices start at 35 euros.

Instead of seven trains a day, however, there is only one in each direction. Speed ​​limits were introduced and railway marshals were installed at stations along the route to direct traffic. New trains will be added soon.

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In addition to speed limits in sensitive areas, a new provision will be added: two trains cannot enter the same tunnel at the same time, even if there is a double line. The movement of freight trains between Athens and Thessaloniki was resumed at the end of March.

The first passenger train to return was carrying the transport minister as well as the head of Greece’s national railway company, the idea being to restore passengers’ trust in the train.

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After the terrible accident in Greece, there were many days of protests. The authorities knew for years that the alarm systems were not working and that more personnel were needed in the field, but did nothing.

It is clear that it will take some time before the number of passengers increases significantly. It’s possible that the pre-crash numbers in Tempe won’t be reached again.

It will be recalled that on February 28, two trains (passenger and freight) collided and ended up on the same track. There were 342 passengers and ten railway employees in the passenger train that traveled between Athens and Thessaloniki.

​Greece is not a country with many trains, because the terrain is not very suitable for extensive railways. True, the Greeks have modernized somewhat in recent years, but they also have a reputation as a country with a lot of accidents.

There are many sections in Greece that are in dire need of modernisation, there are many single-lane sections and there are long sections where automated signaling and traffic management systems are not installed.

The Greek press wrote that the reason could be that the locomotive’s electronic systems, which notify the mechanics of danger on the line, often do not work. These systems have been down on some trains for years, and in February two trains were on the same line and collided due to these problems.

Sources: International Railway Journal, AFP