Greek Railways Approve Limited ETCS with Safety Gaps

Greece's railway regulator has approved the ETCS Level 1 system for two network sections with significant functional limitations, leaving critical safety procedures dependent on manual operations and vulnerable to human error. The Regulatory Authority for Railways (RAS) identified three unresolved risks: speed limit violations cannot trigger automatic braking, broken rails go undetected due to axle counters instead of track circuits, and the system cannot block tracks for maintenance or personnel safety. Railway sources call this a "deficient operation," noting it cannot prevent accidents like the Adendro or Santiago de Compostela derailments caused by excessive speed. The limited implementation stems from infrastructure requiring numerous temporary speed restrictions and an understaffed OSE unable to support daily data updates. Meanwhile, train dispatchers resume full operation on the Athens-Thessaloniki line today, though temporary speed restrictions, telegrams, and verbal confirmations remain in use, particularly at restoration sites in Thessaly.