Train Tragedy.

  March opened with the horrific news of the train tragedy when, en route from Athens to Thessaloniki, an express passenger train collided with a south-bound freight train which the local stationmaster had accidentally routed onto the same stretch of track. This accident claimed 57 lives, many of whom were students returning to their university after a holiday weekend.  

 Four railway officials, including the stationmaster, have been taken into custody, the Minister of Transport immediately resigned and the Prime Minister has promised a transparent inquiry.

Anger is being expressed nationwide by huge demonstrations demanding accountability as well as radical systemic and managerial changes in the railway network which has been revealed to be in a derelict state.

The first picture speaks for itself with student backpacks forming the heart-rending last message of a mother sent to her child who died: ‘Call me when you get there.’

                                             

Greeks are neither great queuers nor regular blood-givers so this scene of hundreds of prospective donors queuing patiently - and one replicated outside hospitals in all major cities - shows the immediate support for medical services dealing with the many injured passengers.

                                       

We saw haunting funeral images, most with white floral tributes symbolizing the youth and purity of those lost souls. Below, the mourners of a young student brought white balloons and the white sugared almond sweets which would normally have been distributed at her wedding. Tragic in its simplicity.

                                  

Human error undoubtedly played a part in the tragic accident where an inexperienced stationmaster was left in charge. Modern equipment was only partially installed and had remained so for years. The system was never fully operant, nor were employees adequately trained.

 In my opinion the supervisors, managers, department heads, right the way up the hierarchical chain of command to the Minister of Transport, all bear some responsibility for the woeful situation. Unions continually call for more employees to be brought in – obviously affording them more funding and power. They do claim they frequently requested the system be improved but clearly did not put enough pressure on the appropriate authorities for this to happen. There is a smell of a cavalier, laissez faire attitude all along the line, so to speak.

The responsibility to push for change is now, by default, being picked up by the populace.

‘Solidarity’ would aptly be the title for the picture of this huge demonstration in Athens.

                                                   

    Their banners bear the legends:

‘We are the voice of all those who died.’

 and

‘We won’t forget, we won’t forgive.’