Nea Philadelphia, 24 / 09 / 2024
Ref. No.: HARSIA / Α572
SECURITY RECOMMENDATIONS E.O.D.A.S.A.A.M.
Further to the safety recommendations issued by the E.O.D.A.S.A.M. regarding 1)telecommunications and 2) clearance of the railway line and 3)follow up on the first recommendation the following are clarified:
According to Law 5014/23, the EODASAM is a subsidiary safety authority and, in addition to investigating accidents and incidents, it must recommend immediate actions and issue safety recommendations if, during the investigation of accidents and incidents, events serious for railway safety come to its attention. The EODASAM board took office on 18/9/23 and with the appointment of the first railway investigator in March 2024, it officially launched the investigation into the tragic accident at Tempe, with the appointment of a three-member committee, two of whose members are well-known and prestigious members of the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA).
There are currently three railway investigators serving in the Agency and efforts are being made to appoint at least five more immediately.
With the assumption of the duties of the Board, an official request was made by the President of the Railway Sector Christos Papadimitriou to the ERA and all the corresponding authorities of the other EU Member States for their assistance in the titanic task of investigating the Tempi site, with parallel training and education of the Agency’s railway investigators, which is being carried out continuously, since there were no railway investigators in Greece.
The national authorities of the other Member States responded negatively, but ERA responded immediately in a positive manner. and already since October 2023, prominent senior staff members have been seconded to Greece and are exclusively engaged in the investigation of the Tempi accident and the continuous training and education of all investigators of the Agency, but also provide guidance and assistance in the investigation of other accidents that unfortunately continue to occur.
EODASAM is a member of the European Network of National Investigation Authorities and is under the supervision of the ERA.
All the recommendations already issued by our organisation (regarding the communication systems and the cleaning of the country’s rail network and the repetition of the first recommendation) were made at the initiative of our Council and after prior consultation with ERA officials. ERA is not a judicial authority under European legislation and does not have the power to bring charges and point out guilty parties, but it must contribute to railway safety and call for the improvement of safety systems.
It is in this context that the recommendation to clean up the network was adopted. It is not the responsibility of the GNSSAM to judge who is responsible for the current situation, but it is responsible and must call for it to be rectified, and that is exactly what it has done, in order to prevent further accidents and incidents. The strict deadline of 45 days given to the OSE, until 31/10/24 was given and (still is) related to the most dangerous points that must be immediately restored.
There has never been any backtracking on this requirement, but it was followed by the necessary specificity that it is impossible in 45 days to clear 2500 km of line, but the most dangerous parts of it. The exact timetable for the completion of the project will be published immediately after meetings with all the parties concerned (RAS, OSE, GENERAL FORESTRY FORESTRY DEPARTMENT, etc.).
The members of the EODASAM Council understand their highest duty towards the memory of not only the 57 dead and the dozens of wounded of the tragedy of Tempi and honoring the struggle of their relatives and loved ones
The members of the EODASAM Council understand their highest duty towards the memory of not only the 57 dead and the dozens of wounded of the tragedy of Tempi and honoring the struggle of their relatives and loved ones, which is not only to record in a scientifically sound manner, adequate, and complete all the causes that contributed to this unthinkable tragedy but also to take every necessary action so that the blood of these fellow human beings is the last to be unjustly spilled in this country and to avoid at all costs new accidents on the Greek railways.
In this context, it will continue to exercise its duties with a high sense of responsibility, fulfilling with self-respect the duties of the Greek Railways.
Dr Christos T.Papadimitriou
D. President &
Railway Sector President
Hellenic Authority for Aviation and Railway Accidents Investigation
