EODASAM conclusion: the causes that led to the tragic accident of Tempi – The persons, the networks and the findings

Chronic pathologies, “criminal mistakes“, omissions and weaknesses of the railway, nationalist infrastructure are included successful the effect of the National Organisation for the Investigation of Air and Railway Accidents and Transport Safety (EODASAM) successful its 178 pages regarding the Tempi tragedy, presented to its authors yesterday.

Before Tempi

This is simply a decision of a thread of causes that allowed the 2 trains to beryllium connected the aforesaid line, with a head-on collision processing arsenic inevitable due to the fact that of this condition. Beginning with the depletion of the Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE) during the years of the memoranda, resulting successful the attraction of the web becoming stagnant, unit being removed and remaining employees performing a disproportionate magnitude of enactment successful narration to their numbers.

And portion “preventive attraction of control, telecommand and signalling infrastructure” was, successful fact, lacking, the mode successful which “OSE manages the skills of its presumption masters does not warrant that they are competent for safety-related tasks for which they are liable and nether immoderate circumstances“, the uncovering said. At the aforesaid time, “Hellenic Train failed to show that it provided ongoing grooming to its drivers, peculiarly for safety-related communications and for applicable and non-technical competencies (skills, behaviours oregon attitudes).”

See the EODASAM uncovering successful English

At Tempi

In a astir obsolete web and with marginal moving conditions for overmuch of the industry’s staff, pathologies and structural weaknesses of the railway web reached their highest connected 28 February 2023, successful the Tempi Valley. The head-on collision of the 2 trains, however, is interpreted, according to EODASAM, by a bid of “causal factors” that affected a captious wide of persons involved.

A cardinal fig connected the nighttime of the bid mishap was the Station Master, who “did not usage the automated method to acceptable the way for the IC-62 bid to permission Larissa presumption northbound to Nei Pori, which would person decently adjusted each the changes“. The stationmaster’s actions indispensable beryllium understood “in the hard operational discourse with which helium was faced that night” according to the finding, fixed that “there were a fig of method failures, some impermanent and much permanent, which created further responsibilities oregon made his existing duties much difficult“. In addition, the affectional strain connected the stationmaster, arsenic helium had been preceded by different mistake that day, affected his science astatine a clip erstwhile helium had to negociate a ample measurement of information.

After Tempi

As a effect of the collision that occurred astatine 23:18 connected February 28, 2023, precisely 2 years ago, 57 radical mislaid their lives, of which 5-7 were burned to death.

Evaluating the findings, arsenic good arsenic the documents of the collision, the Agency concludes connected the fateful nighttime that “most of the fatalities successful this mishap were owed to the effects of the collision of the 2 trains“. With nary information valves and astatine speed, the collision betwixt the 2 trains was violent, followed by the instauration of a fireball successful the archetypal minutes aft the collision.

At the aforesaid time, however, “based connected the observations that could beryllium made, determination is nary denotation that the method instrumentality of the vehicles caused the instauration and dispersed of the monolithic fireball that resulted aft the collision, and subsequently caused the consequent ignitions,” the uncovering said, stressing that “with the disposable grounds it is intolerable to find precisely what caused the fireball.” “The simulations, however, suggest the imaginable presence of an arsenic yet chartless fuel,” the experts note.

In this light, “it remains to beryllium assessed whether amended occurrence retardant materials could person played a relation successful the probability of endurance for the victims who had survived the archetypal collision and subsequently died from the fire,” they stressed, arsenic caller questions present originate for the victims’ relatives regarding the substance that caused the fireball.

On the consequences of the tragic accident, “taking into account, connected the 1 hand, the results of the Psychological Impact Study (4.6.3.5) and, connected the different hand, the level of preparedness of the Plan for this incidental (575), we reason that determination was/is a precocious hazard of worsening of the archetypal consequences associated with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), particularly for each those who were not capable to entree intelligence enactment services successful a timely manner,” the researchers stress, noting that “there are inactive 22 individuals astatine a level of ‘severe’ and supra (over ¼ of the survey sample).”

17 comments

After the tragic study and with questions inactive unanswered for the relatives of the victims, the survey of the Tempi bid mishap concludes with 17 recommendations to the Hellenic Railways, Hellenic Train and the Railway Regulatory Authority, sounding the alarm regarding the information of Greek railways. In a archetypal step, “after consultations and successful statement with the European Commission, an Action Plan was drawn up by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. The European Commission, to which Greece submits reports connected a bimonthly basis, acknowledges successful a property merchandise of 16/12/2024, which is attached to a missive for the authoritative accusation of Greece, that “satisfactory advancement is being made successful the implementation of this Action Plan”. Although “deviations from the implementation of the Safety Directive proceed to exist”. The aforesaid Action Plan partially addresses immoderate of the cardinal hazard factors, which are besides identified successful this report:

a. The instauration of a new, unified nationalist entity, which volition see OSE, ERGOSE and partially GAIAOSE, with the purpose of resolving the gaps and/or overlaps, successful presumption of responsibilities betwixt the entities presently operating, arsenic good arsenic the deficiency of nonstop and effectual coordination.

b. Signing a declaration betwixt OSE and the Greek State to summation the yearly backing from 45 to 75 cardinal euros and defining the obligations and rights of some parties.

c. Strengthening the staffing of the reformed OSE, RAS, EODASAAM and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, arsenic approved by Law 5167, which was passed successful December 2024.

d. The mentation of a Strategic and Operational Plan, arsenic good arsenic an Investment Plan for the improvement of obstruction transport successful Greece, successful practice with the European Investment Bank (EIB).

e. Organization of a sectoral hazard absorption initiative, aiming astatine mapping information procedures and identifying captious problems.

f. The instauration of a nationalist probe assemblage (EODASAAM), with capable quality and fiscal resources, successful bid to undertake the probe of superior obstruction accidents, connected a wholly autarkic basis.

g. Clarification of overlapping roles and work for railway information betwixt the RAS and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.