Greek reilway disaster: Minister of State to visit accident scene at Tempi – Press conference on Wednesday

Today, the Minister of State responsible for infrastructure and transport, Giorgos Gerapetritis, is going to Thessaly, specifically to the site of the train accident in Tempi.

On Tuesday, the Minister of State will be in Thessaloniki, for an on-site inspection of transport infrastructure.

At 11:00 on Wednesday morning, Mr. Gerapetritis will hold a press conference, in the context of which he is expected to announce the first measures towards the gradual restart of the railway. According to unconfirmed information, in this direction it is being considered to give an order for double shifts of the staff and also to make an effort so that this time the timetable for the installation of security systems by Alstom is respected, as the deadline expires in September.

According to information from in.gr, the option of operating the line for commercial trains, but putting a “stop” on the passenger routes and passengers traveling by buses, is being considered. The second point of intervention concerns broader announcements for initiatives (more institutional) to upgrade the railways.

The PM’s apology

On Sunday morning, the prime minister apologized to the relatives of the victims in a post on social media. In particular, he wrote: “As prime minister, I owe everyone, but above all the relatives of the victims, a great APOLOGY. Both personally, and in the name of all those who ruled the country for years. Because, indeed, in the Greece of 2023, it is not possible for two trains to move in opposite directions on the same line and no one to notice it.”

Furthermore, Kyriakos Mitsotakis pledged, among other things, that “I will immediately ask the European Commission and friendly countries for their assistance in terms of know-how, so that we can finally obtain modern trains. And I will fight for additional community funding to maintain and rapidly upgrade the existing network.” Also, that he will propose to all the parties “to commit from now on that, in the next Parliament, a Special Committee will be established that will investigate the painful history of the Greek railways throughout the last twenty years. What has not been done for so many years must be done now and quickly.”

The joint ministerial for public funeral expenditure

In the meantime, today the Joint Ministerial Decision will be issued according to which “the amount of public expenditure for each funeral of victims of natural disasters or accidents is set at 3,500 euros”.