The Greek Parliament approved in principle the Infrastructure and Transport Ministry’s bill titled “Restructuring the Railway Sector and Strengthening Transport Regulatory Bodies” with 157 votes in favor, 133 against, and one abstention.
The bill is focused on restructuring of the railway sector, and particularly meeting some long-demanded safety improvements.
The bill merges the Hellenic Railway Organization of Greece (OSE) and ERGOSE, a subsidiary of OSE that manages co-funded railway projects in Greece and abroad, into a single entity named “Railways of Greece” for improved coordination, construction, and maintenance. It also enhances the powers of the Railways Regulatory Authority (RAS) to improve oversight and rail safety.
It also shifts the train rolling stock management to the public service company GAIAOSE, and aims to integrate signaling and telecommand systems.
The bill furthermore includes job security measures, new hiring for critical areas, and a defined financial framework for sector development, as well as adjustments in pensions, unemployment medical care, and interventions in the banking system.
Railway workers unions in Greece conducted a three-hour work stoppage on Friday, demanding immediate recruitment in the critically needed areas of expertise, immediate interventions to ensure passenger safety, and the replacement of obsolete rolling stock with new trains for the comfortable, fast and safe transport of passengers.
Minister Christos Staikouras praised the bill stating: “we are taking an important, essential first step to address the long-standing problems of the Greek railway.”
