Protothema.gr reveals the testimony of the station master of Larissa who on the fateful night was acting as the station master of Palaiofarsalon, Giorgos Zindros.
The 53-year-old, in the testimony he gave at 15:35 on March 6, before the investigator Mrs. Eleni Sourla, where he presented himself voluntarily, gave the picture of things. A chilling description concerning the most senior station master Pavlopoulos, against whom criminal prosecution has also been brought, who although he should have been in his position to supervise the inexperienced and frivolous Vassilis Samaras, got up and left, leaving the station to its fate with disastrous results leading to tragedy. As he typically says, when he called Pavlopoulos and asked him where he was, he replied cynically that he had left, adding that "How long should I sit? Will I guard him?"
"When the train left Paleofarsalo, I spoke with the stationmaster of Larisa Vasilei Samaras. Vassilis Samaras is inexperienced and there is a difficulty in cooperating when there are traffic irregularities. After talking with Samaras after a while I called Pavlopoulos on his cell phone around 22:45 and asked him where he was and he replied that he had left. And I asked him why he left and he replied “How long should I sit? Shall I guard him?' testified Mr. Zindros.
The entire deposit
The entire testimony of Giorgos Zintros is as follows:
Question: What qualification do you have?
Answer: I am the station master of Larissa.
Question: How many station masters serve in Larissa?
Answer: There are 27 stationmasters, of which 13 are old and 14 new, who were hired at OSE as stationmasters, from the summer of 2022. The stationmasters serve the stations of Kalambaka, Palaiofarsalon, Larissa, Neo Pori, Litochoro, Katerinis and Volos. .
Question: What are the responsibilities of the station master?
Answer: The safe handling of train traffic and traffic safety.
Question: When a train is about to arrive or depart what are the duties of the station master?
Answer: It will ensure the arrival and departure of the train on the correct track. The train before entering the station is obliged to check the entry signals. That is, the traffic lights. Which if green, can enter without notice. If they are red stops, it alerts the stationmaster that it is approaching and awaits instructions. The station master must issue a telegram by radiotelephone and the train enters the station on the line indicated by the station master. Correspondingly, when the train leaves the station if the traffic lights are green, it will leave, as long as the head of the train has notified the station master that the disembarking and boarding of passengers has been completed and received a departure order from the station master. If the light signal is green, it departs without a 1001 telegram, while in case the light signal is red, the first departure must receive a 1001 model or a telegram from the station master in order to exceed the red light signal and depart. When a train departs from the station of Paleofarsala or the station of Nea Poros, the station masters inform the station master of Larissa that the train has departed and in case the train moves on a single line he must report it.
Question: On receiving notification that a train has departed from the previous station, what should the stationmaster do?
Answer: To ensure the safe entry of the train into the station. This is done, either technically, or manually. Signaling technically means that entry will be made with the traffic lights, which are regulated by the electrical panel located in the station master's office. Manually means that the locksmith arranges the spikes in the position indicated by the station master. On the electrical control panel located in the station master's office, the traffic lights, spikes and trains inside the station are displayed. These lamps have red, green and yellow colors and are activated by a button located on the control panel. With the keys on the control panel, the spikes are arranged, either in a straight line or on the siding. The key has two positions master (K) and (II) bypass and one position (A) automatic for route planning. When the key is in the (A) position, the route is drawn automatically and at the same time the spikes can be turned automatically. When the key is in the (K) position, it means that it is in a straight branch. That is, the moment someone turns the key to position (K) the spikes automatically turn straight. When the tips turn and lock, the corresponding light of the tip on the panel is yellow non-pulsating, while if they do not lock, the color is yellow and flashing. When the key is in position (II) it means that it is on a bypass and again the light when it locks is steady yellow when the key is in position (A) and the route is drawn automatically.
Question: February 28, 2023 were you working?
Answer: I worked a shift from 14:00 to 23:00 at Paleofarsalon station. Train 62 arrived at the station with a little delay, boarded and disembarked passengers and was waiting for train 63, which was traveling Thessaloniki - Athens. One train was waiting for the other to change the traction staff - drivers. Train 62 left only on the descending line until the entrance of Larissa, because the ascending line had been cut in the afternoon of the same day. When train 62 departed from Palaiofarsalon station at approximately 10:40, I informed the Larissa stationmaster, Vasilios Samaras, via landline and telegram that the train departed in the opposite direction, bound for Larissa station. The train moved on a single descending line until the entrance of Larissa and with a siding arrangement by the locksmith at key 101, it entered normally on the ascending line on the second (2). Based on the working hours schedule, the last hour of each shift coincides with the first hour of the next and therefore the hours 14:00 to 15:00, 22:00 to 23:00 and 06:00 to 07:00, at her station At least two stationmasters must be in Larissa. As can be seen from the service schedule, at the Larissa station, on February 28, 2023 from 14:00 p.m. to 23:00 p.m., Konstantinos Pavlopoulos was serving as senior and Panagiotis Hamilos as reserve after a shift change. The latter has a 14: 00 to 22:00 shift because he works with service provision - block. Konstantinos Pavlopoulos is an experienced station master, while Panagiotis Hamilos became a station master recently. Vassilis Samaras served alone from 22:00 to 07:00 night shift.
Question: Are there one or two station masters on the evening shift at Larissa station?
Answer: In the past there were two station masters on each shift, whereas in recent years there has been one on each shift because there was no staff. After the recruitment of the new colleagues and their certification around the end of January, two station masters work in the morning and afternoon shifts and one in the night shift. The service schedule is drawn up by the supervisor, Dimitrios Nikolaou.
Question: Did you communicate by phone that evening with Konstantinos Pavlopoulos?
Answer: When the train left Paleofarsalo, I spoke with the stationmaster of Larisa Vasilei Samaras. Vassilis Samaras is inexperienced and there is a difficulty in cooperating when there are traffic irregularities. After talking with Samaras after a while I called Pavlopoulos on his cell phone around 22:45 and asked him where he was and he replied that he had left. And I asked him why he left and he replied “How long should I sit? Will I guard him?"
Question: If the train is delayed, does the station master whose shift the train was supposed to be on have to stay until the train arrives or can he leave at the end of his shift?
Answer: As long as his replacement comes, he can leave. Usually when there is a workload, however, no one leaves. When Pavlopoulos left, train 62 and suburban train 2597 would arrive at Larissa station and after these trains, the train for Volos would leave.
Question: When was the electric traffic control panel installed at the Larissa station office?
Answer: When I came to Larissa in 1994 the traffic board already existed. For the last four to five years it has not been working because it was broken and circulation was done with the locksmiths. It has been in operation for the last four to five months since the beginning of November 2022. There was some apprenticeship from the company that visits the panel, ALSTOM, that is, some people came and showed us the operation. We old people remembered the painting and educated the young.
Question: When the train enters or leaves Larissa station, is there a light indicator on the control panel?
Answer: Yes, there is a Light indicator. Railway tracks have some system and when the train passes through there corresponding red light on the control panel lights up, the lights light up sequentially within the range of the control panel.
Question: What is the scope of the control panel?
Ans: The range of the control panel is 10 km on either side i.e. 5 km north and 5 km south from the station master's office. So when a train departs from the station, its footprint is visible on the control panel for 5 kilometers as the corresponding red lights on the panel light up.
Question: Do you know approximately how far the key 118 is from the Larissa station?
Answer: I estimate it to be around 500 meters.
Question: What is the range of the control panel after peak 118?
Answer: I estimate it to be around 4-5 kilometers.
Question: This distance from the train that moved like train 62 i.e. upside down on the descending line, how long does it take to travel?
Answer: About 5 minutes.
Question: If the station master looked at the electrical control panel as of the above time period, would it be possible to tell that the train was moving in the opposite direction?
Answer: Yes it could.
Question: Do you know if there was a fault in the electrical control panel 28 February 2023?
Answer: No, I don't know. In any case, any damage that may occur does not concern the entire board and the lights that make up the train footprint cannot be affected at the same time.
Question: Do you have anything else to add?
Answer: I have nothing else to add.
Source: First issue