- Doubts escalate over revelations of data tampering and manipulation.
- An eerie silence over the radio, lasting 11 minutes, immediately following the departure of the fateful Intercity train 62 from Larissa station, only to collide head-on with commercial train 63503 15 minutes later.
- The list of digital files submitted by Panagiotis Terezakis, interim CEO of the Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE), to the Parliamentary Investigation Committee on February 1, 2024.
By Aris Hatzigeorgiou
An 11-minute silence in radio communications on the night of the Tempi accident adds another gap to the credibility of the post-accident investigation, adding to the doubts raised by revelations of data manipulation that will be crucial in the upcoming trial.
Today, Data Journalists reveal that in the list of digital files submitted to the Parliamentary Investigation Committee (1/24) by Panagiotis Terezakis, interim CEO of OSE, there is an 11-minute radio silence immediately after the fatal Intercity 62 train left Larissa station, only to collide head-on with commercial train 63503 15 minutes later.
In submitting the list to Parliament, Mr. Terezakis spoke of “the removal of data from the recording systems of the signaling systems in Larissa and Mezourlo (the neighboring station), which was done on the same day by a specialized and authorized employee of the construction company in the presence of the police, an investigating officer and I”. He further added that the process was “recorded and videotaped by the investigating officer himself and we handed over these data, keeping a copy ourselves as OSE, another copy received by the chief investigator and a copy taken by ERGOSE”.
The image below shows a portion of the list of hundreds of digital records of VHF radio conversations on February 28, 2023. Every time a stationmaster, train driver, switchman, or anyone else involved in the Larissa station area presses the button to talk on the radio, a new file is opened and “closed” as soon as the conversation is over for everyone else to hear. So within this part of the list, there are 32 different files recorded over 34 minutes between 22:46 and 23:20. So there is about one record, or one conversation, for every minute that passes. The same is true for a more extended time list with 96 records in a 101-minute interval between 9:46 p.m. and 11:27 p.m.
It is worth noting that the time stamp on the list submitted by Mr. Terezakis to the Parliamentary Committee shows a 10-minute delay. For example, the controversial files “3e3_443” and “3e4_443” are recorded with time stamps of 22:54 and 22:55 respectively, but they describe events at the time of the departure of train 62 from Larissa, i.e. at 23:04, as reported by the station master. These are the files that were altered and merged to be “played” in the media the very next day, even before 24 hours had passed since the tragic accident, as revealed by the newspaper “To Vima”.
File 3e3_443 is the last one in which the imprisoned stationmaster of Larissa, Vassilis Samaras, talks to the engine driver George Koutsoubas who died in the head-on collision. The conversation included is as follows:
- Train driver: Larissa, do you copy?
- Stationmaster: I do copy. With code 47 (the oral telegram number) you pass from the red exit signal to the entrance signal of Neoi Poroi.
- Train driver: Thank you very much.
The conversation captured in file 3e4_443 is as follows:
- Train driver: Vasili…
- Stationmaster: Sotiri, let’s go.
- Train driver: Vasili am I clear to depart?
- Stationmaster: Yes, you are.
These two files were merged, but the first few seconds of the second file were removed to hide the fact that the stationmaster was talking to another train driver, Sotiris Adamou, who was waiting to depart on a local line to Volos. They were then presented as a single unit by the “Proto Thema” website at 22:11 on the evening of March 1, 2023, and quickly disseminated across all media.
This bolstered the narrative of tragic human error as the predominant cause, a narrative that the Kyriakos Mitsotakis-led government had vigorously promoted from day one at Tempi to the moment New Democracy drafted its 700-page conclusion.
The editing was carefully chosen and executed. The stationmaster, following orders, was apparently unaware that he was directing the train in the opposite direction, i.e., onto the descending line (otherwise he would have mentioned it explicitly and given written instructions). The train driver expressed his gratitude, departed, and shortly thereafter reportedly asked, “Am I clear to depart?”
This question led to speculation that the train driver had noticed the train entering the descending line in reverse and was inquiring about it. However, he received the reply, “Yes, you are,” and proceeded toward disaster. Of course, an experienced train driver who noticed his train changing tracks without written instructions would immediately stop and question the stationmaster. Giorgos Koutsoubas was very experienced and the omission of any mention was never believed by the train driver’s colleagues.
However, as the list presented today shows, the inexplicable 11-minute gap begins at 22:56, just two minutes after the departure of Intercity 62 from Larissa station. Keys 118A and 118B, left in a diagonal position, inadvertently diverted the train to the downhill line, located 1,400 meters from the station.
Thus, the gap coincides with the switch. The driver, G. Koutsoubas, does not seem to question what happened or ask for confirmation. For 11 minutes, no one speaks on the radio among the station personnel or those working around the station (switchmen, train drivers, engine room, crossing guards, etc.) The same gap for the same duration is observed in the other list of phone calls to and from the stationmaster’s office.
The silence is broken just as the head-on collision occurs. In file 3e7_443 at 23:07 someone complains to the stationmaster about a power outage. Shortly thereafter, at 11:11, according to the incorrect timestamp on the list, a call is recorded to the stationmaster from the OSE traction controller in Thessaloniki.
This controller is monitoring the electrical loads on the northern part of the network. He has noticed a short circuit “somewhere in Rapsani” and asks the stationmaster if he knows anything more. Unfortunately, the short circuit he inquires about is the result of the severe head-on collision that has already claimed dozens of lives.
