Commencement of passenger routes with Xerapetridis in the first carriage

01.04.2023, 21:26

After several days of delay than earlier announced, OSE passenger train services officially started on Monday and the government is doing what it knows best: managing communications. Minister of State Giorgos Gerapetridis will ride the first line of the Athens-Thessaloniki railway line, and indeed the first carriage.

Officially, according to leaks, the move is intended to re-inspire citizens’ confidence in using trains. However, every time the prime minister pulls Kyriakos Mitsotakis out of the fire, he will not go as far as Thessaloniki, but at most Larissa. According to the information, he will then go to France, whose government he will ask for help in modernizing the Greek railways.

Government sources did not say why the opening of the routes, originally scheduled for April 1 – in the presence of the minister of state and under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport, Giorgos Gerapetridis – was repeatedly postponed, but two were finally launched. Days later.

Lack of tunnels and protective equipment

It should be noted that Giorgos Gerapetridis announced on March 14 that the Athens-Thessaloniki route will start from Monday March 27. As the days passed and the start of the tracks drifted away, the minister refrained from making a statement.

On Tuesday, March 28, and without warning, Hellenic Railways announced the activation of the first freight route between Athens and Thessaloniki, an hour before their start. Thus, one route was undertaken in each direction, the journey time approaching 10 hours. Before the accident, the trains were running at a speed of 120 kmph which was much slower, i.e. 80 kmph.

Important date

As reported by the “Teachers’ Newspaper”, Monday, April 3 is an important date for the start of passenger routes of the Athens-Thessaloniki route, however, without knowing the basics: their duration (before the accident. They were 160 km in 4 hours, now it is said to be 120) and will discounts be offered on tickets?

Implementation of the Athens-Thessaloniki routes was set for April 3, as train drivers requested written guarantees on specific issues.

Safety Issues Raised by Panhellenic Union by Traction Personnel-PEPE Posted in “Ef.Syn” from 21/3. (“Restarting trains on shorter routes”, 22/3/23) “Despite some attempts to “exaggerate” our stand, it proved true and important,” said Railway Drivers’ President K. Genidonias wrote. In social networks. On March 38, Mr. According to Genidonias, the OSE in its letter “committed in writing to pass through the Tempe and Platamonas tunnels, while a certified employee of the OSE will be on the trains for communications between them. Use the GSM-R system for emergencies (and not for transport purposes as the system is not licensed as stated by the OSE for vehicles)”.

The opening of passenger lines is very important for citizens who want to travel and for the country’s economy. However, after the tragic accident in Tempe, there was no judicial inquiry into the causes, and extreme caution is needed. It does not lend itself to communication ceremonies or the big mouths we are used to by government actors, who do their best to abdicate their responsibilities.

After all, the projects are unfinished, and citizens have to wait for the results of any initiative of a government that has been in power for four years, but now, a month and a half before the elections, promises to fix everything he has not done. They didn’t do what they did before her.