Greece plans to install remote train control systems as part of efforts to make rail transport safer. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the goal is to implement these innovations by September 2023, Reuters reports, News.bg reports.
The February 28, 2023, crash, in which a passenger train collided head-on with a freight train, became the country's worst rail tragedy. The incident killed 57 people.
Mitsotakis announced that Greece's entire railway network will be equipped with automatic remote brakes and train control systems (ETCS) by September. According to him, the implementation of real-time train tracking will provide an additional layer of protection and prevent potential collisions.
Accident investigators said that if remote traffic control systems had been in place in 2023, the disaster could have been prevented. Greece has repeatedly postponed a European Union-funded project to install ETCS and train communication systems, which was planned as early as 2014.
In addition, Mitsotakis promised that by 2027, the entire railway line in the country, covering 2,400 km, would be modernized.