Tempi train crash
On 28 February 2023, a head-on collision occurred between two trains south of the Tempe Valley in Greece, about halfway between the Greek towns of Tempi and Evangelismos in the Thessaly region. The collision, involving the InterCity 62 (IC62) passenger train and an intermodal freight train, killed at least 57 people, with an official number of 342 passengers and 10 onboard railway staff on the passenger train and 2 staff on the freight train totalling 354 passengers on both trains. It is the deadliest rail disaster in Greek history. It was discovered that the IC62 passenger train had been allowed to proceed on the wrong track and pass signals at danger despite the presence of the freight train on the same track.
| Tempi train crash | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 28 February 2023 23:21 EET (21:21 UTC) |
| Location | Near Evangelismos, Tempi, Larissa, Thessaly |
| Coordinates | 39°50′54″N 22°31′00″E |
| Country | Greece |
| Line | Athens–Thessaloniki mainline |
| Operator | Hellenic Train |
| Incident type | Head-on collision |
| Cause | Lack of an automatic train control system |
| Statistics | |
| Passengers | 342 |
| Deaths | 57 |
| Injured | 85 |
| List of rail accidents in Greece | |
Piraeus–Platy line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Simplified route diagram | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vigils, angry protests, and clashes with the police occurred throughout Greece following the accident. Beginning on 2 March 2023, railway workers of Hellenic Train and the Athens Metro went on strike to protest the dangers related to the crash. Following the accident, Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis resigned, taking responsibility for the crash and for his failure to bring Greek railways to 21st-century standards.