Hatzidakis at Delphi Forum: Train Reform Bill to Cabinet on April 28

Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis addressed the Delphi Economic Forum X on Saturday, calling for forward-looking politics and announcing key legislative steps to overhaul Greece’s troubled railway infrastructure.

“New Democracy needs to speak with the future in mind. We don’t have magic recipes and cheap tricks. We cannot become a party of magic recipes,” Hatzidakis stated.

In a significant policy announcement, Hatzidakis stated that a draft bill concerning the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) will be brought before the cabinet on April 28. “The situation at OSE is unacceptable. I will not explain why. We have taken initiatives here, they have been presented in the public debate, but we will move faster and more decisively with a bill that will be discussed in the cabinet on April 28,” he said.

He added that the legislation would address key recommendations from both the European Commission and the National Organization for the Investigation of Air and Rail Accidents and Transport Safety (EODASAAM), particularly on train safety and operational restructuring. “It will be a PPC model for OSE,” he noted, referencing the operational overhaul of the Public Power Corporation as a blueprint.

The announcement follows the February release of a report by EODASAAM on the fatal Tempi train crash. The investigation revealed that OSE maintains infrastructure reactively—repairing critical assets only after failure occurs—and lacks adequate oversight of station masters. The report highlighted a failure to consider human and technical interaction, with working conditions “stretching the limits of the operational staff beyond what is humanly acceptable in a sustainable way.”

Turning to broader political strategy, Hatzidakis said, “New Democracy will be voted in again for what it is and for what it can offer. What we will try to do is make the government’s work clearer.”

On the economic front, he called for a continued focus on reform. “On the other hand, at the economic level, we need to focus on our narrative, which is steady steps forward. Others claim that they will boost the economy. Let’s refer to specific examples. Let’s not be afraid of reforms from now on.”

Source: Tovima.com