WORLD NEWS | Trains gradually restarting after Greek railway disaster

ATHENS, March 22 (AP) — Train services in Greece resumed Wednesday for the first time since a deadly rail disaster three weeks ago, as the country’s center-right government struggles to regain its footing ahead of a general election.

The February 28 head-on collision was the deadliest in the country’s history, killing 57 people and injuring dozens, nine of whom remain in hospital.

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National and suburban train services have restarted on only limited sections of the rail network, with increased train and station staff and mandatory slowdown points in areas deemed to have a higher chance of collisions.

The first train of the day is from Athens to Inoi, 60 kilometers (37 miles) north, at 4:45 am. Suburban rail services from Athens to its international airport have also resumed.

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Full services will resume on April 11, including rail transport between Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city.

The deadly collision between a passenger train and an oncoming freight train on the Athens-Thessaloniki route has highlighted long-standing problems with the systems that monitor cybersecurity.

After the stock market crash, the government’s lead in opinion polls has roughly halved to just 3 percentage points behind its main leftist rival in the weeks leading up to the election.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said late on Tuesday that he would call elections in May, a month later than initially expected, without giving an exact date.

“It’s a tragedy that should never have happened. It’s hard to imagine two trains going in opposite directions on the same track in Greece in 2023, and nobody realizes it,” Mitsotakis said. In an interview with private Alpha TV.

“I believe that while people are feeling outraged and outraged, they also understand that this accident is the result of decades of accumulated mistakes. We now have an obligation to deal with them thoroughly … We feel a great responsibility.” (Associated Press)

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