Rail services across Greece, including Athens’ suburban railway, are expected to be severely disrupted on Tuesday, 18 November, after unions representing Hellenic Train employees declared a 24-hour strike.
The Panhellenic Railway Federation has also scheduled a four-hour work stoppage from 09:01 to 13:00 the same day. Hellenic Train is expected to release detailed information on cancelled routes, as well as whether any limited services will run with emergency staff.
In their announcement, the unions said they would request mediation to open dialogue with the company, citing urgent concerns about staffing, safety, and deteriorating infrastructure.
Workers’ demands
Unions argue that chronic staff shortages, including in critical roles, are undermining the safe and smooth operation of the network. They are calling for immediate hiring and full staffing of all services, strict adherence to shift schedules, and proper rest periods for employees.
They also highlight unsafe working environments, pointing to facilities and locomotive depots in need of urgent repairs. Aging equipment and outdated workspaces, they say, hinder efficient operations and put both staff and passengers at risk.
Other key demands include:
- Modernisation of rail infrastructure, equipment and rolling stock.
- Improved planning of timetables to reduce systematic delays that affect commuters and place additional pressure on staff.
- Protection of jobs and fair disciplinary procedures.
- Reinstatement of dismissed employees deemed unfairly terminated.
- Ending frequent changes to work locations and schedules, particularly for customer-care staff, which unions say harm workers’ physical and mental health.
- Restoration of hygiene standards at stations and retraining of operations staff.
- Completion of long-pending safety infrastructure projects, including systems that remain unfinished or non-functional.
Union representatives emphasized that their goal is a “safe, modern and publicly accountable railway system” that protects both passengers and personnel. The strike is expected to cause widespread disruption, and travellers are advised to plan accordingly once official timetables are released.
