Stacey Seaside

Reposting a portion of the blog from last year on the Tempe train tragedy.

Massive public protests are scheduled for tomorrow, February 28 marking a tragic 2- year anniversary of 57 souls lost.

New developments have fuelled the flames

Let me know when you get there …

But tomorrow, no one is getting anywhere.

The entire country will be without public transportation.

Normally, with yet another strike crippling movement across the country, we would be complaining.

This strike has found continued sympathy across Greece on the second anniversary of the Tempe train tragedy.

Many businesses are also not opening as an act of solidarity.

A drone view shows a message ploughed across fields reading “I have no oxygen”, a phrase Denis Ruci, one of the 57 victims, used in a phone call to emergency services. The field is in the village of Galarinos, Greece. Christian Ruci, 22, brother of one of the victims of the train crash, and farmer Anestis Glias, 21, ploughed the message in memory of the victims of the crash this month.

Bitter national tragedy

February 28 marks the bitter anniversary of a national tragedy.

The lives of 57 souls were violently obliterated at 11:18 pm as they rolled along northbound train tracks at Tempe on the Intercity 62.

Passengers unwittingly boarded a death train in Athens with a final destination of Thessaloniki. The day marked the end of a long weekend of Carnival celebrations across the country.

As is this -a 3-day carnival weekend but starting off with mass mourning and outrage.

Most of the 57 were 20 somethings, returning back to university, in Greece’s second largest city.

A freight train was headed southbound; the Intercity 62, was carrying 348 passengers.

The two trains raced toward each other for 11 miles and 12 minutes.

The passenger train was traveling at 160 km/h when it collided head-on with the cargo train moving at 110 km/h. The force of the impact generated temperatures high enough to melt steel.

Is there anyone who hasn’t waited for the call or text from a loved one confirming they had arrived at their destination safely?

Call, text never came

But for 57 families in 2023, the call or the message never came.

ΈΦΤΑΣΕΣ; Have you arrived?

The calls and texts remain unanswered for eternity.

And the grief, frustration and anger remain for eternity as well.

On the anniversary in 2024, churches across the country rang their bells 57 times to symbolize the number of lives lost.

And across Greece the entire country shut down as striking railway workers and seamen went off the job for 24 hours. Protests in Athens turned violent as little had changed to improve the safety of the systems in the 12 months that had passed.

Pizza order tracked with greater safety mechanisms

When you can track a pizza order or an Uber ride on your phone, Greeks asked how was it possible that two trains could travel for all of 12 kilometres on the same track, in opposite directions, without alarms going off?

The stationmaster was arrested, admitting he had not rerouted the trains. Investigations have taken place and the line–closed for the better part of two months last year– is running again.

Critics said the station master was inexperienced and was left working alone during a busy holiday period.

Vigils, violent demonstrations

For two weeks there were demonstrations across Greece that began initially as vigils to honor the victims, as well as another 80 or so survivors hospitalized after the crash.

But grief quickly turned to anger. Demonstrations were fuelled by public outrage that the government had failed by not ensuring the safety of its citizens, once again.

The government promised to fix a system crumbling from decades of neglect.

“Trains will resume operations with safety at the maximum possible level,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said weeks after the crash.

Train safety still not improved

Two years on, little has been done to significantly improve train safety, despite mounting evidence that system deficiencies helped cause the accident. Officials are failing to pursue safety reforms on the network and the country remains hostile toward the government over inaction and actions two years on.

Remote train control and communication systems, mandatory under European Union law, are still not functioning. Railway staff numbers at the main rail operator have fallen since the crash, and those remaining await fresh training.

Greece’s rail network is prone to future accidents if safety is not improved.

A comprehensive plan to revamp the railway is underway. Supposedly there has been significant progress in upgrading railway safety, despite extensive damage caused by flooding in September in central Greece.

More than 300 infrared cameras in tunnels since the crash have been installed.

With ongoing cuts to the workforce, Greek train engine drivers remain overworked and deal with old equipment, poor safety measures, and only makeshift interpersonal communication.

Except for the single line that connects the two major cities in the north and the south, railways have not been a significant part of Greece’s transport system.

Railway privatization, a bailout obligation imposed by the infamous troika of lenders more than ten years ago, led to a split between railway infrastructure companies and rail service providers.

Contrary to the expansion of the railway network across Europe and the introduction there of upgraded safety measures, the Greek railway network actually shrunk.

Promises but no results

“I can guarantee one thing: We will find out the causes of this tragedy and we will do all that’s in our power so that something like this never happens again,” Prime Minister Mitsotakis said following the crash. Today the government is being accused of a cover up.

The deadly collision might have been averted if two key systems had been in place: ETCS, which can remotely control a train’s speed and its brakes; and GSM-R, a wireless network allowing communication between station masters, train drivers and traffic controllers.

The ETCS has been installed across rail tracks, after a nine-year delay. But is not operational as it has not been added to trains pending certification. An EU prosecutor has charged 18 Greek public officials for over multiple, illegal extensions to the project.

Flooding later damaged telecom systems across a 90-kilometre section on the same Athens-Thessaloniki route. The cost to restore it is estimated at 450 million euros by the government.

The EU Agency for Railways completed a safety assessment last year. EU regulations were not implemented correctly in Greece, while underfunding and a complex system of overlapping agencies had slowed change.

Zero responsibility for safety

“There appears to be no entity in Greece taking on overall responsibility to ensure railway safety,” the assessment said.

A planned merger of OSE and its subsidiaries will help address administration issues, according to the transport ministry.

The tragedy also prompted Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis to resign, acknowledging the government’s failure to modernize the railway network.

Investigations into the crash have been marred by delays and allegations of a cover-up. Families of the victims have voiced concerns about missing evidence and potential tampering at the crash site. Notably, Deputy Civil Protection Minister Christos Triantopoulos resigned following accusations of unauthorized alterations at the scene, which he denied, stating his resignation aimed to assist the government amid the controversy.

Regarding legal actions, some victims’ families are pursuing justice through international avenues. Maria Karystianou, who lost her 20-year-old daughter in the accident, has vowed to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights, seeking accountability beyond the national investigation.

The Association of Relatives of the Victims has collected over 1.3 million signatures, demanding the abolition of ministerial immunity and a thorough inquiry into the responsibilities of officials overseeing train safety.

As of February 2025, the judicial process is ongoing, with numerous petitions pending and the trial expected to extend into late 2025. The development of the investigation is closely monitored by the Greek public, reflecting a collective demand for transparency and justice.

Greek deputy minister Christos Triantopoulos resigned early in February following allegations of evidence tampering at the site of the 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives when two trains were involved in a head-on collision.

The deputy minister for civil protection, stepped down following claims by the main opposition party that he participated in unauthorized alterations at the crash site. He denies the accusations.

Triantopoulos has said his presence at the site following the crash was part of the government’s efforts to assist the victims’ families.

He said his resignation was to help the government after he had been unfairly targeted.

Grieving families, survivors and those of us with strong emotional memories are still asking why greater progress has not been made.

A parent knows no worse moment.

The sudden death of a young adult.

This is the moment when an indelible line separates life: before and after.

On the cusp of promise, young lives tragically taken; because the government, who has pledged to ensure the safety of its citizens, has failed.

Your child is lost to you forever.

The hopes, dreams and potential gone.

And no one wants anyone to lose a loved one again.

Certainly not because the government was negligent.

The tragedy has triggered massive public protests and political controversy, with victims’ families demanding answers about the freight train’s cargo, which they suspect included illegal flammable materials.

In Mykonos last February, Iakouvos Kousathanas, a 30 something classmate of my son’s and a truly sensitive soul honored the 57 souls lost at Tempe with this beautiful gesture–57 vigil lights on the waterfront facing city hall and listing those lost. The photographs are his.

Η Μύκονος τιμά!!! 57 κεριά στην Μνήμη τών Τεμπών .Αυτό το ταξίδι είχε προορισμό τον ουρανό!!

1. Γιώργος Μπουρνάζης, 15 ετών

2. Αναστασία Παπαγγελή, 19 ετών

3. Θώμη Πλακιά, 20 ετών

4. Χρύσα Πλακιά, 20 ετών

5. Αναστασία Πλακιά, 20 ετών

6. Αναστάσιος Κουτσόπουλος, 21 ετών

7. Μαρία Θωμαή Ψαροπούλου, 21 ετών

8. Φραντσέσκα Μπέζα, 21 ετών

9. Γιώργος Παπάζογλου, 22 ετών

10. Ελένη Τσίντζα, 22 ετών

11. Ιορδάνης Αδαμάκης, 22 ετών

12. Κλαούντια Λάτα, 22 ετών

13. Αφροδίτη Τσιωμά, 23 ετών

14. Αγάπη Τσακλίδου, 23 ετών

15. Ιφιγένεια Μήτσκα, 23 ετών

16. Άγγελος Τηλκερίδης, 23 ετών

17. Ντένις Ρούτσι, 23 ετών

18. Κυπριανός Παπαϊωάννου, 23 ετών

19. Νικήτας Καραθεόδωρος, 23 ετών

20. Αναστασία Αδαμίδου, 24 ετών

21. Καλλιόπη Πορφυρίδου, 24 ετών

22. Δήμητρα-Ευαγγελία Καπετάνιου, 25 ετων

23. Ελισάβετ Χατζηβασιλείου, 26 ετών

24. Δημήτρης Ασλανίδης, 26 ετών

25. Νίκος Ναλμπάντης, 27 ετών

26. Σωτήρης Καραγεωργίου, 28 ετών

27. Ελπίδα Χούπα, 28 ετών

28. Γιάννης Καρασάββας, 28 ετών

29. Δημήτρης Οικού, 29 ετών

30. Παναγιώτης Χατζηχαραλάμπους, 29 ετών

31. Σοφία-Ελένη Ταχμαζίδου, 32 ετών

32. Δημήτρης Μασσάλης, 32 ετών

33. Βάιος Βλάχος, 34 ετών

34. Αθηνά Κατσάρα 34 ετών

35. Μοχάμεντ Εντρίς, 34 ετών

36. Σπύρος Βούλγαρης, 35 χρονών

37. Ιονέλ Κουλέλα, 35 ετών

38. Λένα Δουρμίκα, 39 ετών

39. Βάγια Μπλέκα, 42 ετών

40. Ιωάννης Βουτσινάς, 48 ετών

41. Ανδρέας Παυλίδης, 49 ετών

42. Μαρία Μουρτζάκη, 51 ετών

43. Βασίλειος-Κυριάκος Κώττας, 52 ετών

44. Βαγγέλης Μπουρνάζης, 54 ετών

45. Βασιλική Χλωρού, 55 ετών

46. Μαρία Εγούτ, 55 ετών

47. Γιάννης Τζοβάρας, 55 ετών

48. Χρυσούλα Κουκαριώτη, 56 ετών

49. Μαρία Μιάρη, 56 ετών

50. Γιώργος Φωτόπουλος, 57 ετών

51. Γιώργος Κουτσούμπας, 59 ετών

52. Παβλίνι Μπόζο, 62 ετών

53. Γιάννης Καριώτης, 63 ετών

54. Γιώργος Κυριακίδης, 67 ετών

55. Ευαγγελία Κουκαριώτη, 63 ετών

56. Σύριος μετανάστης ο οποίος ταυτοποιήθηκε μέσω δείγματος DNA που εστάλη από τον αδελφό του από την Ολλανδία.

57. Εριέττα 23 ετών αγνοείται.

The effort for justice continues.

Tomorrow on February 28, protests will take to the streets across the country–demanding justice, demanding truthful explanations.

On Sunday, January 28 a similar demonstration took place across the country.

In Mykonos it looked like this.

Mykonos participates in the

Panhellenic Call of the Association of Relatives of Victims of Tempi 28/2/23
We do not forget!!!
We do not forgive!!!

 

 

 

 

The safety of public transportation is something that we expect from governments of social welfare.

It is the given.

We board vehicles, ships, airplanes, trains to get from A to B and have the expectation that we will travel and arrive at our destination safely.

ΈΦΤΑΣΕΣ; Have you arrived?