Tempi tragedy: The presentation of the findings on the train collision

The National Organization for the Investigation of Aviation and Railway Accidents & Transport Safety is presenting its finding on the conditions of the tragedy from the train collision in Tempi.

As the president of EODASAAM stated at the beginning of the presentation, the Committee’s report is something written with absolute independence, with the organization’s council adopting it without changing a single comma. According to him, the absence of the organization led to the loss of critical evidence on the night of the accident. He also extended a deep apology to the victims’ relatives, who had to step in for the organization that did not exist at the time to collect evidence. Tempi is a national disgrace that, like every tragedy, must have a catharsis—though that is not the subject of our investigation. Our goal is to highlight the negligence and criminal errors that led to two trains being on the same track, resulting in their collision, the president continued.

As he explained, they examined contract 717, but it was not the primary focus of the investigation. The fact that its delayed implementation contributed to the accident is a given. “The accident was also contributed to by the Greek state’s years-long neglect of the railway system and the depletion of OSE’s safety personnel during the Memorandum years. The purpose of the investigation is to make the necessary safety recommendations,” concluded the president of EODASAAM.

The head of EODASAAM’s investigation unit, Kostas Kapetanidis, stated that the passenger train was traveling at 150 km/h and the freight train at 90 km/h, both within the limits, and a fireball was created. He also spoke of a major operational error by the stationmaster, who mistakenly left switch 108 in the crossover position, adding that “this person had to handle an overwhelming number of communications, and the workstation required him to turn right, preventing him from seeing the control panel.”

“He was also emotionally affected by a previous mistake he had made with another train, which was later discovered by the train driver.”

Regarding the train driver, he said it remains a great mystery why he did not stop when he encountered the switches in the crossover position, leading to the known outcome.