#trainose

Greek ocs anyone?

LEFT: Metre gauge Α class 0-4-0T No.4 “Tίρυνς” (Tiryns).

RIGHT: Standard gauge Εα class 2-6-0T No.204 "Διατρυπών" (Diatrypon).

This week's newsletter from AthensLive is out:     The train crash was NOT a tragedy

*  The signs had long been there

*  “Tragic human error”? Instead, a series of them from actors with power

*  When you control the media, you can alter the story

- are the main headlines to be found inside this highly informative weekly must-read from and about Greece.

The country is grieving the train collision victims on Tuesday, 28 February 2023, at 23.21 in Tempi, Central Greece. The news was shocking. It is “the biggest train accident in Greece’s history,” as the Panhellenic Rail Workers Federation president Ioannis Nitsas said.

As we write, the emergency services are still at work, trying to detect and release the bodies inside - or what remained of them. The number of dead as of Friday was 57; 36 of them confirmed their identity. Thirty-eight passengers are hospitalized, seven of them in ICUs.

This accident, however, was not a tragedy. In ancient tragedies, the hero ignores a substantial piece of information that is meant to shape his destiny. In this case, the state knew and had repeatedly been warned about an accident waiting to happen, mainly due to crucial shortages in infrastructure and understaffing - and yet it let it happen.It cannot be recommended strongly enough to read and share this week's updates on the events and developments in Greece here:

https://steadyhq.com/en/athenslivegr/posts/3e1dcd02-ebc1-4af0-a5c6-f8a03ab401af

For anyone with a wish or need to follow and to gain an insight into recent events in Greece and to read and support independent and investigative journalism in English, the weekly newsletter from AthensLive should be a core element in the reading flow.

If you want the best overview of the events and developments in Greece right now, this is the place to go. Not the mainstream Greek news, but independent journalism with sharp analysis and links to interesting and important topics from a variety of sources.

Become a member and get the newsletter in your inbox every week here:

This week's newsletter from AthensLive is out:       "Our lives matter" - the train crash that woke up the country after a decade in "shock doctrine" hibernation

*  Too little, too late

*  What Conflict of Interest? The term does not even exist in Greece

*  After many years, Greeks met again on the streets flooding with anger and grief.

- are the main headlines to be found inside this highly informative weekly must-read from and about Greece. This week the whole country took its anger and grief to the streets. On the occasion of the horrific train crash in Tempi on 28 February 23.21, the most massive demonstration since 2015 occurred on Wednesday in Athens, accompanied by protests in 75 cities and towns. The PM apologized for the accident to minimize political damage, and the government tried to appear sad. Yet, the police attacked the demonstrations, and the orchestrated effort against journalists and TV people expressing harsh criticism continued unabated. The government also kept up with breaching the Constitution. Taking advantage of the nation focusing on the horrific event and being collectively traumatized, they proceeded with “business as usual,” tabling anti-popular bills.

It cannot be recommended strongly enough to read and share this week's updates on the events and developments in Greece here:

https://steadyhq.com/en/athenslivegr/posts/cb4242a4-0fd9-445f-97b4-024bb1eb03b5

For anyone with a wish or need to follow and to gain an insight into recent events in Greece and to read and support independent and investigative journalism in English, the weekly newsletter from AthensLive should be a core element in the reading flow.

If you want the best overview of the events and developments in Greece right now, this is the place to go. Not the mainstream Greek news, but independent journalism with sharp analysis and links to interesting and important topics from a variety of sources.

Become a member and get the newsletter in your inbox every week here:

The first express electric train service that will carry out the Athens-Thessaloniki route in under four hours is to be launched next Monday, the general secretary of infrastructure and transport ministry, Thanos Vourdas, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.

The new trains will cover the distance in just three hours and 55 minutes instead of five hours, as until now.

Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Spirtzis is expected to present the new electrified double-track railway line, with a total length 450 km, on Wednesday.

Vourdas said that the electric trains will be included in TRAINOSE’s daily schedule, with two stops at Lianokladi and Larissa along the route.

The service will be initially conducted by three trains and offer all necessary amenities for a comfortable trip, including WiFi.

The new electrified railway line from Athens to Thessaloniki is ready for use and will be put into operation today, January 29, according to a statement issued by the company responsible for the upgrade.

According to the state-run AMNA news agency, all the work that was needed for the entire length of the line to be electrified is now complete. The rail project was accomplished under the auspices of the ERGOSE company, a part of TRAINOSE, Greece’s only railway concern.

The stretch of railway between Lianokladi and Domokos, an especially treacherous section of the line due to its mountainous terrain, is now fully electrified.

However, the Lianokladi-Domokos portion of the rail line will continue to operate with diesel trains for another month, until the new signals and electric line have been fully tested.

“With these projects, ERGOSE has completed a flagship project for the construction of the new railway line on the country’s main “Piraeus-Athens-Thessaloniki” rail axis,” ERGOSE announced in their statement.

The statement noted that this vital upgrade will now provide Greece with “a modern and fully inter-operable double-electrified railway line.”

Lundi 24 février : Gare de Thessalonique

Voici un de mes, un de nos plus beaux voyages pour l’instant : de la mer Egée à la Transylvanie, de Thessalonique à Bucharest en une semaine... outre le départ et l’arivée en avion (avec un superbe coucher de soleil sur l’Olympe en prime), l’objectif était du 100% train entre les différentes villes du parcours. Malheureusement le train de nuit D460 (Thessalonique-Bucarest) n’étant qu’en service en été, la section Thessalonique - Sofia a été réalisée en bus.

Tout cela ne m’a pas empêché une petite session spot en gare de Thessalonique, qui fut ma première avec mon nouveau téléphone portable, un Redmi Note 8T (vous excuserez ainsi le bout de doigt sur une photo !). De façon assez intéressante, la gare de Thessalonique est de loin la plus importante du pays, bien qu’elle soit restée ancrée dans les années 60 sur le plan architectural...

Au premier plan, les rames tractées composées de locomotives série 120 ou HellasSprinter, en livrées très colorées qui accompagnent des voitures très jolies également. J’ai pu également prendre en photo une rame de la série 460, seule série d’automotrices en Grèce.

High speed trains will soon make traveling across Greece much faster. The trains, which can reach speeds of 200 km (124 miles) per hour, will arrive in the country on January 18.

The first trip with these cutting-edge trains, which are called “White Arrow” and operated by Greek railway company TrainOSE, will follow the route from Athens to the country’s second-largest city, Thessaloniki.

Its inaugural journey will take place on March 25, which coincides with the bicentennial of the beginning of Greece’s War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821.

TrainOSE’s CEO Filippos Tsalides stated to AMNA that after a few trial trips are conducted,  the company would gradually incorporate more and more high speed trains into Greece’s railway system.

Featuring nine carriages, including four economy-class and three first-class sections, along with a bar and restaurant, the new trains provide an unrivaled level of comfort and convenience for travelers.