Greek railway completes first Athens-Thessaloniki journey with full telecontrol

The first passenger train journey on the Athens-Thessaloniki line has been completed using 100% signaling and telecontrol systems. This development, announced by Konstantinos Kyranakis, marks a significant milestone in the history of the Greek railway, occurring four years after the Tempi tragedy.

Kyranakis stated that the implementation of these systems significantly enhances transport safety and asserted that, provided the systems remain operational, train collisions on the Greek railway can be prevented. He noted that the automatic ETCS braking system has been fully installed and requires immediate activation.

While the government has celebrated this as a completed public project delivered on schedule, some reports suggest that gaps and “blind spots” may still exist within the telecontrol operations, with certain sections potentially still requiring human presence to ensure safety.