“Today we have the resumption of [rail] services to Thessaloniki and Kalambaka,” said Minister of State responsible for Infrastructure and Transport, Giorgos Gerapetritis, on Monday, before boarding the first train departing for Kalambaka in more than a month.
He thanked the workers at Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE) and Hellenic Train, saying they had worked extremely hard so “that we can, in an extremely difficult situation, upgrade the level of safety, so that passengers can feel confidence and that we can, until the planned works are completed, have a level of safety that meets the demands of citizens and passengers”.
The Minister of State pointed out that the state, after the accident in Tempi, put emphasis on three aspects:
– The first was to shed a lot of light on the accident so as to highlight the responsibilities where they exist. He noted that the investigation was progressing rapidly and its results will be in soon.
– The second was to have a safe resumption of services in order to build public confidence.
– The third issue, he added, was resetting railway safety standards on a more permanent level.
“Our obligation is to have a railway that will be worthy of the expectations we all have, a modern railway that will be able to develop and be among the best in Europe. This is an obligation of the state but it is also a debt we owe to the victims of the tragic accident,” he said, adding that “the investigation will be concluded and the railway in Greece will become a safe means of transportation at the service of the state and society”.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
