A public prosecutor in Thessaloniki ordered an urgent investigation on felony crimes into the damage of cables of the railway remote management system (RTMS) on the Athens-Thessaloniki line, short before Platy in the regional unit of Imathia.
According to one scenario, the damage on the cables was a theft attempt with the aim to sell them for scrap. However, the Deputy Transport Minister claimed even before the investigation is concluded that it was a “clear sabotage” in order to harm the conservative government.
According to media information, the incident took place late on Wednesday evening, February 25, with the manager of the managing company OSE in charge to the rail network to have filed a complaint to the Greek Police.
A journalist of the state broadcaster ERT reported from the scene that the perpetrators broke the cement and the thick metal pipes protecting them and cut the cables in three spots. Nothing was stolen.
Experts of the Greek Police inspected the area on Thursday morning and they reportedly confirmed that
- there are no cameras at the scene
- the perpetrators broke the cement and dug deep, cut the cables and then left without stealing anything
- no digging or cutting tools has been found at the scene to show how the incident occurred.
Deputy Infrastructure and Transport Minister Konstantinos Kyranakis revealed the incident early in the morning describing it as “shocking” and asserting that it was a “clear-cut action intended to cause deaths, two days before the anniversary of the Tempi tragedy.”
The minister explained that the cables were part of the rail transportation management system (RTMS) installed in the area after the Tempi accident.
He added that the specific cables had been placed with special protection and covered with cement to prevent theft or damage.
“ This is clear sabotage by someone who wanted deaths two days before the Tempi anniversary. They broke through the cement, removed the cables – which have double insulation and protection – and cut them using special tools. They did not steal anything, they had no financial gain; they cut them and left,” he said characteristically.
As a result, the RTMS system at that specific point was out of operation, he said.
The minister noted that despite the damage, the railway network now has additional safety safeguards.
Police experts and OSE investigators are seeking possible DNA traces or finger tips, while at the same time they seek footage from the CCTV cameras even in the broader area possibly showing some people approaching the spot with vehicles or motorcycles.
Investigation is currently in full development and it is expected that new evidence will be added in the case.
 on the Athens-Th){kind=link}