From 21 to 23 September, a Petitions Committee delegation will visit Athens and Larissa to assess progress since the 2023 Tempi train accident, focusing on railway safety and infrastructure.

A delegation led by Petitions’ Vice-Chair Dolors Montserrat will undertake a three-day fact-finding visit to assess the steps taken following the 2023 Tempi train accident regarding safety measures, the application of EU legislation, the implementation of EU-funded railway infrastructures, as well as the petitioners’ concerns regarding the effectiveness of accountability mechanisms.

MEPs will start their visit on Monday 21 in Larissa, where they will meet with the President and Board Members of the Tempi affected persons’ association.

The following day, the delegation will meet the Governor of Thessaly, Dimitrios Kouretas, before visiting the Larissa railway traffic control centre, accompanied by representatives of the Hellenic Railways Organisation. They will then travel to Athens to meet representatives of Hellenic Train, the main operator of passenger and freight rail services in Greece.

The mission will conclude on Wednesday 23 with meetings with the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Dimas, the Alternate Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Giorgos Kotsiras and Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Nikolaos Tachiaos, at the Acharnes Railway Center, as well as the national regulatory authority for railways (RAS), trade unions and representatives of the independent national accident investigation body (HARSIA).

 
Members of the delegation:

• Dolors Montserrat (EPP, ES) - Head of delegation
• Isilda Gomes (S&D, PT)
• Kosma Złotowski (ECR, PL)
• Ana Miranda Paz (Greens/EFA, ES)

 
Accompanying members:

• Manolis Kefalogiannis (EPP, EL)
• Yannis Maniatis (S&D, EL)
• Emmanouil Fragkos (ECR, EL)
• Nikos Pappas (The Left, EL)

 
Press conference

On Wednesday 23 September at 13.15 (local time), Vice-Chair Dolors Montserrat will hold a press conference on the outcome of the mission at the European Parliament Liaison Office in Athens (8 Leoforos Amalias).

 
Background
On 28 February 2023, at approximately 23:18 local time, passenger train IC-62, travelling from Athens to Thessaloniki, collided head-on with freight train 63503 near Evangelismos in the Tempi Valley, close to Larissa. According to the official accident investigation by the Hellenic Air & Rail Safety Investigation Authority (HARSIA), the IC-62 passenger train had 352 persons on board at the time of the accident. The collision resulted in 57 fatalities, including 46 passengers and 11 railway personnel, as well as 81 serious injuries requiring hospitalisation for more than 24 hours, and 99 minor injuries and is considered the deadliest railway accident recorded in Greece.