The trial over Greece’s deadliest train disaster, which left 57 people dead in the Tempi valley in 2023, is set to begin on March 23, marking a pivotal moment in the country’s long search for accountability. The date was formally set by the prosecutor of the Larissa Court of Appeals, as authorities accelerate preparations for a case that has shaken public trust in the nation’s railway system.
The collision occurred on February 28, 2023, when a passenger train and a freight train were mistakenly routed onto the same track and crashed head-on near the northern town of Tempi. The tragedy exposed years of neglect, outdated infrastructure, and mismanagement within Greece’s railway operations, sparking nationwide protests and political fallout.
Ahead of the trial, police have raided the Larissa Railway Station, seizing audio recordings and documents believed to be linked to the investigation. The proceedings will take place in a specially converted conference hall at the University of Thessaly, transformed to accommodate what is expected to be one of the largest and most complex trials in modern Greek history.
Thirty-six defendants are charged in connection with the disaster, including railway employees, public officials, and executives from both ERGOSE—the state company responsible for railway projects—and Hellenic Train, the privatized successor of the national operator TRAINOSE. The defendants face accusations ranging from negligent homicide to disruption of public transportation, a felony that can carry a life sentence when resulting in multiple deaths.
Among them is the 59-year-old Larissa stationmaster who allegedly directed the passenger train onto the wrong track, two colleagues who left their posts early, and senior officials who approved his appointment despite age and experience concerns. The investigation also identified 16 ERGOSE executives accused of failing to install vital safety systems such as signaling and remote control that should have been operational since 2016. Additional charges target 10 OSE managers and two Italian officials of Hellenic Train, while the head of Greece’s Railway Regulatory Authority faces prosecution for approving operations despite long-documented safety deficiencies.
To ensure the process moves forward without delay, more than 30 translators are working to render roughly 1,500 pages of legal documents into Italian for the two foreign defendants. The full case file, including reports, recordings, and communications, amounts to nearly 200 gigabytes of data—almost triple that if secondary materials are included.
The trial is expected to draw a massive legal presence, with around 250 lawyers representing both the accused and the victims’ families. At least 150 witnesses are scheduled to testify, a number likely to grow as proceedings unfold
