Trying to map out the deeper, less visible aspects of the loss of trust people have felt since Tempi train crash, we decided to give the floor to those directly affected by the decline of the railway. We wanted to understand their relationship with the train today, what keeps them from using it, and what it would take for them to trust it again.
On 28 February 2023, the entire country watched in shock as passenger train IC62 collided with freight train 63503 near Evangelismos, between Larisa and Katerini, close to the Tempi Valley. The death of 57 passengers and the injury of another 180 were widely seen as the result of political inaction and unjustifiable negligence; symptoms, many argued, of the state’s long-standing approach to the railway.
The way the Kyriakos Mitsotakis government handled accountability did little to ease public concern. Although it secured re-election a few months later, dissatisfaction with its handling of the case continued to grow. This led to a motion of no confidence, mass protests –on 28 February 2025 drawing over one million people across Greece– and an ongoing mobilisation of citizens demanding answers, with victims’ families at the forefront.
While the issue of responsibility dominated public debate, the effects of Tempi were also felt in everyday life. Routes between Athens and Thessaloniki resumed in December 2023, but passenger numbers dropped sharply, by as much as 50%, according to reports (see, Haris Floudopoulos and Matina Charkoftaki, “The decline of the railway continues — passenger traffic down by 50%”, Capital.gr, 29/3/2024). The disaster, on the country’s most important rail line, left behind a lingering sense of insecurity, often expressed in a simple phrase: “that could have been me.”
Access to the railway itself also worsened. Among the many consequences of Storm Daniel in September 2023 was the effective isolation of Thessaly from the rail network, due to extensive damage. At the same time, long-standing problems across other parts of the network became impossible to ignore.
The Thessaloniki-Alexandroupoli line has been suspended since 2020 for maintenance. Since 2024, only the Alexandroupoli-Orestiada section has resumed. At the same time, decisions by Hellenic Train to close most ticket offices along this already marginal line, along with problematic aspects of its contract with the state, have raised concerns about future access, not only for residents of Evros, but also for those in Drama, Serres and Kilkis, whose disconnection from the rest of mainland Greece is becoming more pronounced.
Residents of Florina face similar isolation. The route to Thessaloniki was suspended after Tempi, with only the Edessa-Thessaloniki section restored in December 2023. The February 2025 deadline set for the full reopening has passed, and it remains unclear when the route will be fully operational again.
Rail transport is not only crucial for connecting regional Greece with major urban centres; it is also widely recognised as a key component of future mobility. Rail accounts for just 1% of global carbon emissions, making it central to efforts to tackle climate change — what transport expert Kosmas Anagnostopoulos calls the “backbone of sustainable mobility.” At the same time, he points to its long-term marginalisation in favour of the car, a trend that has persisted since the early 20th century.
What follows are the voices of people connected to the railway (users, workers, and experts) speaking about the rupture caused by Tempi and what came after. Many describe a steady decline they had already been witnessing: fewer staff, long delays, rising ticket prices, deteriorating infrastructure.
Looking at the railway before and after Tempi, it becomes clear just how decisive the event was, and how many challenges now stand in the way of rebuilding public trust. Even so, alongside the fear and uncertainty, there are also traces of something else: mostly nostalgic memories of a time when the train felt more reliable, more accessible — suggesting that the erosion of trust had already begun.
On paper, any future transport strategy would prioritise environmentally friendly mobility and aim to reconnect Greece’s regions. In practice, however, the railway –arguably one of the most important tools for achieving both– remains absent from these plans.