Greek PM receives top EU rail experts; promises to implement recommendations

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with visiting European Union railway officials at his Maximos Mansion in Athens on Wednesday, a development that shows an urgency in dealing with the fallout of last week’s deadly rail accident in north-central Greece.

Mitsotakis received the executive director of the EU Agency for Railways, Josef Doppelbauer, the European Commission director for land transport, Kristian Schmidt, as well as Elzbieta Lukaniuk, responsible for rail security at the office of the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina-Ioana Valean.

According to reports, the top EU experts presented initial recommendations to draw up a blueprint aimed to drastically improve Greece’s rail network, infrastructure and operation, including the implementation of international best practices and ways of efficiently using EU funding.

Government sources said the Greek premier promised to fully exploit EU services’ expertise and experience and to aid and facilitate an in-depth and transparent investigations into the Tempi train disaster.

The relevant minister of transports, Giorgos Gerapetritis, also attended the meeting. He was handed the specific portfolio, along with retaining his minister of state post, after the resignation of the previous minister in the wake of the disaster.

Meanwhile, a cabinet meeting is scheduled for Thursday morning at the same venue, with the only subject on the agenda being railway safety after the Tempi train collision.

Finally, unions representing rail sector workers said a nationwide strike will continue until Friday, possibly until a meeting between representatives with Mitsotakis.