Rail transport in Greece began to gradually resume on Wednesday, 21 days after the head-on collision of two trains that killed 57 people and paralyzed traffic on the country’s railways.
Several suburban trains in Athens and Patras returned to service on Wednesday, as well as several tourist routes in central and southern Greece.
Although the government had planned to resume intercity and freight routes in the north of the country, these remain suspended as drivers refuse to operate the trains, underlining that there are still safety concerns on those routes.
In a letter sent on Tuesday to Hellenic Train, the company that operates the Greek railways, the drivers’ union says that communication between the train and the station is not possible at several points on these routes.
The union is asking the company for written confirmation that it is safe to go through a series of tunnels where firefighters have reported “safety issues”.
According to the government’s plan, train service, both for goods and passengers, will gradually resume until April 11.
“It is necessary to restart the train service in order to regain the confidence of the population,” said interim transport minister Yorgos Yerapetritis.
On February 28, a passenger train collided head-on with a freight train north of the town of Larisa, killing 57, the mostly university students.
Source: DN
