Greece's Deadliest Train Crash Trial Begins Amid Public Outrage and Safety Failures

Greece's Deadliest Rail Disaster: Landmark Trial Begins Three Years After Tempi Crash

More than three years after the devastating train collision in the Tempi Valley in central Greece, a major criminal trial is set to begin against those deemed responsible. The tragedy has become one of the country's most politically charged cases, with even the location of the proceedings sparking controversy until the last moment. Relatives of the victims had petitioned for the trial to be moved to Athens or Thessaloniki, but Greece's Supreme Court recently rejected the request. Their aim was to ease travel for survivors, lawyers, and witnesses. The trial will now proceed as planned in Larissa, the regional capital of Thessaly.

The case centers on the worst rail disaster in Greek history. In late February 2023, an Intercity passenger train and a freight train collided head-on on the Athens-Thessaloniki line. For twelve minutes, the two trains hurtled toward each other on the same track—one at 140 km/h, the other at 100 km/h. The crash claimed 57 lives, many of them university students. Greece's most vital rail artery remained closed for months. The narrow Tempi Valley, carved by the Pineios River, holds deep cultural significance for Greeks, steeped in mythology and dotted with ancient sites.

The repeatedly delayed trial will take place in a specially rented courtroom large enough to accommodate the hundreds of lawyers representing victims' families and the accused. Around 250 attorneys are involved, including Zoe Konstantopoulou, leader of the rising left-wing party Plefsi Eleftherias, a breakaway faction of Syriza. Presided over by Judge Georgia Stefanidou, the sprawling case spans roughly 60,000 pages of evidence, with proceedings expected to last at least two years. Thirty-six defendants—including senior executives from rail infrastructure operator OSE, train operator Hellenic Train, regulatory body RAS, and high-ranking officials from the transport and infrastructure ministries—face charges such as manslaughter. Some could receive life sentences if convicted. Separate proceedings for politicians, including two former ministers, are planned for later.

Among the accused is the stationmaster whose fatal errors sent the two trains onto the same track, along with two colleagues who were absent from their posts on the day of the disaster. For months, the conservative New Democracy government sought to pin blame solely on human error, using its parliamentary majority to obstruct broader investigations. Tellingly, prosecutors only requested recordings of communications between dispatchers and train crews six weeks after the crash—by which time the files, routinely deleted after 15 days, had already been erased. Revelations about the rail system's shocking neglect turned the disaster into a national scandal. Many see the partial privatization and fragmentation of Greece's state railway as a root cause of the crisis.

Public outrage over the handling of the catastrophe has fueled nationwide protests. Victims' relatives, trade unions, and student groups have repeatedly organized demonstrations and strikes. On the second anniversary of the disaster in February 2025, nearly a million people took to the streets across Greece—more than during the height of the eurozone crisis. This year's rallies, held under the slogan "Their profits or our lives. It was no accident—it was murder. We will not forget, we will not forgive," underscored lingering anger. At a central demonstration outside parliament in Athens, Pavlos Aslanidis, head of the Tempi Victims' Families Association, declared: "We demand justice. The full truth about this crime must come to light."

The disaster exposed the dire state of Greece's rail sector. Investigations revealed that EU-funded electronic safety systems, meant to be operational by 2016, had never been activated on the line. Passenger numbers plummeted after the crash, though rail travel had already been unpopular in Greece. Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis—who served three and a half years in office—blamed the decline on the previous left-wing Syriza government. Though he resigned after the tragedy, he denied any personal responsibility.

Without the European Train Control System (ETCS), rail operations were managed as they would be only on minor branch lines—relying solely on verbal train reports between dispatchers, with no technical support. The employee in charge at Larissa station, a former porter, had just 40 days of operational experience, and his training was still incomplete.

The disaster exposed the dire backwardness of Greece's railway sector.

To this day, it remains unclear whether the freight train—officially declared to be carrying steel sheets and containers—was also transporting hazardous chemicals in violation of safety regulations. Questions arose after an explosion triggered a fire at the scene. An independent investigative commission found traces of xylene and toluene, highly flammable hydrocarbons used as solvents, at the crash site.

The matter could not be fully resolved because video footage from Thessaloniki's departure station was never provided or transferred. Audio recordings were allegedly tampered with, apparently in an attempt to mislead the public. Since October, legal proceedings have been underway against officials from Greece's state railway operator, OSE, over these allegations.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis long denied that dangerous goods were being transported. Facing public pressure, he has since left the possibility open. Just before the trial began, he used his weekly address to announce that "the line will be equipped with full signaling systems, complete remote control, and the ETCS safety system by this summer." While calling for a thorough investigation in light of the trial, the conservative politician likely has a very different interpretation of "full clarity" than many citizens do.