The European Commission will closely monitor the implementation of Greek reforms related to the railways’ upgrade and safety in the aftermath of a deadly train crash that killed 57 people, Greek Minister of State Giorgos Gerapetritis said, according to Euractiv.
Speaking to a group of journalists in Brussels, the Greek minister said all railway safety digital upgrade projects would be closely monitored by the European Commission and should be completed by the end of September 2023.
Asked by Euractiv, who set this deadline, he replied it was the Greek government.
Gerapetritis also raised concerns about potential delays in the rapid implementation of the projects due to the upcoming elections, highly likely to be held in May, with a caretaker government to take over between the date of announcement and heading to the polls.
The upgrade of the signalling system on trains and remote control has been on the agenda of Greek reforms since 2000. However, due to numerous shortcomings and delays, the reforms were not carried out.