Hellenic Train

Greek railway operator Hellenic Train has been fined 100,000 euros over the deaths of two pedestrians, in 2023 in Thessaloniki and in January this year in Athens.

Even though the first death did not occur at a proper pedestrian crossing and was ruled a suicide, in both instances the trains involved had violated proper procedure, the Hellenic Railway Regulatory Authority (RAS) found.

Hellenic Train, the Italian state-owned operator of Greece's railway, has denied reports that it is planning to divest from Greece.

"Following a rumor that circulated in recent days in a section of the press, Hellenic Train categorically denies any disinvestment from Greece," the company said in a statement.

A year after the deadly train crash near the Vale of Tempe, which left 57 dead, it is clear that the relatives of the victims and survivors will wait a long time to see justice done.

It's not that the investigation is lagging, but, with each aspect of the accident examined, more people come under scrutiny and more are likely to be charged.

The testimony of the CEO of Hellenic Train, Maurizio Capotorto, has been forwarded to the competent prosecutor's office by the Parliament committee probing the deadly train collision in February 2023 in Tempe, central Greece, to investigate the possibility of perjury. 

Four Italian experts visited the investigative magistrate in Larissa, central Greece, on Tuesday to examine the recordings of the passenger train that collided with a freight train at Tempe on the night of February 28. 

With the experts' contribution and conclusions, the final report on the deadly crash is on course for completion.

More routes will be added on Monday on the Athens-Thessaloniki train service where Greece's deadliest crash on record occurred on February 28.
 
Route operator Hellenic Train announced last week that two additional pairs of Intercity trains will restart services and new departure times will be added for better passenger service.

The government is bringing forward the implementation of the digital labor card at state companies to the end of April, in the aftermath of the Tempe railway tragedy.

The findings of the investigation into the deadly train collision have reportedly deemed it imperative that the digital work card be introduced at public utility companies, especially those in transport.

Greek police fired tear gas and protesters hurled firebombs on Thursday as more than 40,000 people took to the streets to slam the government and voice outrage at last month's train disaster that killed 57 people.

The protests were accompanied by a 24-hour strike -- the biggest yet since the disaster -- this time called by Greece's leading private as well as public sector unions.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has told train company representatives that the restructuring of the country's railways "is not just a universal demand of Greek society but is now also a personal matter for him."

Hellenic Train, the country's train operator, announced Monday it will schedule bus routes, starting Wednesday, until trains resume running.