Greek inquiry finds rail safety gaps remain, two years after deadly crash

By Renee Maltezou

ATHENS (Reuters) -Greece's worst rail disaster in 2023 was caused by chronic safety gaps that still need to be addressed to prevent a repeat, investigators said on Thursday.

On February 28, 2023, a passenger train coming from Athens and a freight train coming from Thessaloniki collided head-on near the town of Larissa, killing 57 people, mostly students.

The probe by Greece's Air and Rail Accident Investigation Authority (HARSIA) into the causes and the state's response is the first by a national authority to conclude. 

It comes just before the anniversary of the disaster, which Greeks will mark with mass demonstrations that are expected to bring the country to a standstill.

"Those children were killed because the train was not safe; we cannot hide," said Christos Papadimitriou, head of HARSIA's railway division, describing the report as an X-ray of the rail system that would highlight deficiencies. 

HARSIA presented 17 recommendations - for the railway regulator; the operator, Hellenic Train; the state-owned Hellenic Railways Organisation, responsible for the network; and the transport ministry.

The recommendations cover hiring and training, renewal of assets, and installation of remote train control and communication systems and of recording equipment to help with accident analysis.

The crash led to a huge fireball and an explosion, but it remains unclear how they happened. Most victims died in the crash, but up to seven were killed by the fire, according to HARSIA. It said the fireball could not have been caused by train equipment.

HARSIA was only set up in late 2023 and launched its probe in March 2024, more than a year after the crash, which meant it had to rely on others for much of its information.

A judicial investigation is expected to finish this year. Experts hired by the families reported more than a year ago, highlighting deficiencies.

A project co-funded by the European Union to install systems - for remote communication between drivers and traffic controllers and to control a train's brakes from a distance - was launched in 2014 but is years behind schedule, leading EU prosecutors to charge numerous Greek officials with malpractice.

The government has since drafted a railway safety action plan, which Brussels has criticised as too slow.

The delays have also angered victims' relatives, who accuse the government and parliament of not doing enough to assign political responsibility for the crash. The government denies wrongdoing.

"Nothing has changed since the first day we learned of the tragedy," said lawyer Antonis Psaropoulos, who lost his daughter in the crash. "For us, every day is the same."

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Yannis Souliotis; Editing by Kevin Liffey)