Transport
2,551km
Length of
rail network
Travel smarter,
live better
AN AWARENESS-RAISING
campaign highlighting the
benefits of public transport,
cycling and pedestrian traffic
will be marked in six cities and
towns in Greece September
on 16-22.
The highlight of European
Mobility Week will take place
on September 18 in Athens,
with numerous events
scheduled to take place from
10am to 4pm at Syntagma
Square and on Panepistimiou
Street, which will be closed to
traffic.
Among the events will be
road-safety lessons for children,
musical performances, cycling
games and special museum
exhibitions.
This year’s event, which
will also be marked in
Thessaloniki, Lamia,
Panorama (a suburb of
Thessaloniki), Yiannitsa and
Veria, runs under the banner
“Travel Smarter, Live Better”.
It is meant to draw attention
to the detrimental effects that
current urban transportation
trends have on health, for
both citizens and the towns
and cities in which they live.
To facilitate participation
in public events throughout
the day, bicycles will be
allowed on the metro, tram
and electric railway. All-day
tickets on public transport will
cost 1 euro (or 50 cents for
those entitled to reduced
rates).
3 For more, visit www.oasa.gr
(Athens News)
The new OSE
TrainOSE
Responsible for ... ... operating
train services.
A 49% stake
and
management
will be
privatised
Current staff
Number of staff 738
for retirement/
transfer under
new law
Remaining 800
5,878 500 €10.7bn
OSE Services daily OSE’s debt
employees
(September 1)
Light at the end of the tunnel?
Greece’s OSE rail network is poised in crisis. While time appears to have
stood still, the Hellenic Railways
for major changes. Depending on who is Organisation (OSE) has chugged
asked, the restructuring is long overdue - along, amassing a mountain of debt,
which now stands at 10.7 billion euros
or a train wreck waiting to happen (see opposite page).
Now a long-awaited announcement
By Damian Mac Con Uladh has come, one that will see Greece’s
rail system transformed - with positive
environment@athensnews.eu results, according to its authors, but
S
INCE they were erected, the modern many, including trade unionists and
Siemens clocks on the train station passengers, remain unconvinced.
platforms of the Proastiakos suburban
rail line have stood still - at 12 noon, or
What’s at stake
midnight, depending on the passenger. As part of a major restructuring
Apart from the clocks, “Pay plan, the government on September 10
attention to announcement!” is the said it would sell a 49 percent stake in
only message the information board TrainOSE, the subsidiary that operates
adjacent to the clocks has ever carried train services, through an open tender,
since being installed as the line became which also offers the successful bidder
operational five years ago. control over management of the
The boards are not waiting for company.
missing parts. Rather, the problem is Presenting the plan, Infrastructure,
quite simple: no one has been sent to Transport and Networks Minister
Dimitris Reppas said that the
switch them on. The neglected
announcement boards are but one of restructuring will leave parent company
the many symptoms of an organisation Hellenic Railways Organisation under
full state control.
To the consternation of trade
unionists, the Reppas plan envisages
the retirement or transfer of 2,800
OSE employees to other public-sector
posts.
When the plan is concluded, only
3,600 employees will remain from the
current 5,878. Staffing numbers have
fallen considerably in recent years,
largely as the result of a hiring
embargo. The average age of an OSE
employee is now about 50 years.
The transfers, retirements and
cutbacks in the payroll cost will ensure
that OSE will not be operating at a loss
as of next year, infrastructure ministry
general-secretary Haris Tsiokas said in
a radio interview.
The government does not intend to
abolish any of the existing railway lines,
Tsiokas said, but the frequency of
OSE ErgOSE GaiOSE Total staff
services will be decided by the
... overall ... design, ... managing companies that acquire OSE rights,
direction tendering, OSE’s while there will be a 50 million euro
of the construction huge subsidy for the less economically viable
lines.
rail and property
system. management portfolio, Up to now, OSE is obliged to
operate all the lines in the 2,551km-long
Parent of all railway valued at
company infrastructure 4.6bn network, regardless of profitability.
projects at euros According to Theodoros
Theodoropoulos, a research officer with
5,938 OSE, only two routes - the central Patra-
Athens-Thessaloniki line and the Athens
1,600 2,338
suburban network - are anywhere near
making a profit.
Upset
1,600 1,200 3,600 Unionists in the Panhellenic
Railways Federation (POS) have
ATHENS NEWS FRIDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 2010 4-5
€4.6bn €933m €231m €110m €539m 1.2% €35,000 50
OSE’s property OSE’s annual TrainOSE’s Annual cost of TrainOSE’s debt TrainOSE’s Average annual Average age
portfolio deficit annual deficit maintaining to OSE for share of freight salary of OSE of OSE staff
rolling stock operating rights transport employees
The Siemens Desiro EMU
Proastiakos trains, which can Explaining the mountain of debt
reach a speed of 160kph, are the
most modern in TrainOSE’s fleet WITH AN accumulated debt of 10.7 billion His office estimates the cost of running
euros, the Hellenic Railways Organisation, these lines in 2007 at 140m euros.
or OSE, has been described by Transport Another factor is OSE’s ticket pricing
Minister Dimitris Reppas as the biggest loss- policy, which is determined by the
the Reppas plan and in support of the making public sector enterprise in the government and largely dictated by political
development of the system. In a European Union. concerns rather than economic reality.
statement, the coalition said the plan Since 2002, when the debt stood at 2.5bn, “We’ve had to keep our ticket prices
would lead to the serious undermining the rail company’s debt has more than really low,” Theodoropoulos said, explaining
of rail system’s potential. quadrupled. that OSE’s prices are now on average about
“Obviously, we support those However, as OSE research officer 30 percent of the prices charged by its main
proposals that guarantee the Theodoros Theodoropoulos explained, the rival, the Ktel intercity coach network for the
reorganisation and streamlining massive debt is not of the company’s making. same routes.
operations in OSE, but we reject the “This is not the OSE’s debt, but the debt He estimates that the under-cost pricing
of the Greek state,” he said, listing a number policy annually results in about 40m euros
amputation of the network that will
give road travel a dangerous of factors that have generated massive losses. in lost revenue.
monopoly,” the coalition said in a One of the reasons has been the state’s
statement. insistence that OSE borrow from private Add 500m euros
Concerns are also being raised at a banks and often at high interest rates the Another huge contribution to the debt
European level. The chairman of the billions of euros necessary to carry out huge has been the refusal of the government to
European Parliament’s transport infrastructural and investment projects, refund VAT payments to the tune of 500m
committee, Brian Simpson, has written which also enjoy the support of EU funds. euros, paid on infrastructure projects from
to the European Commission to 2004 to the present.
enquire whether it will seek the refund Not our fault OSE employees have also argued that
of funds expended on rail lines that are This, observers say, is akin to asking the company has been mismanaged for
likely to close as part of the airlines to pay directly for the construction years. Executives are appointed by the
restructuring programme. of airports or the Ktel intercity coach government, with frequent turnovers in
Simpson also asked how the company for motorways. recent years.
reduction of the rail network in Greece In 2008 alone, just over half of the Both Theodoropoulos and Kioutsoukis
is compatible with the bloc’s wider goal group’s 795m euro deficit resulted from insisted that not all OSE employees enjoy
Eurokinissi
of reducing carbon dioxide emissions interest payments on its loans. the high salaries mentioned in recent months
by 2020, and increasing the safety of the Others, such as Nikos Kioutsoukis, head in the press.
country’s roads, which are among the of the railway workers’ union, argue that the Trade unionist Kioutsoukis said that the
reacted ferociously to the Reppas plan, end well,” said union president Nikos ordinary workers and, accordingly, the Proastiakos network, which will most dangerous in the countries in the 7.5bn investment programme, which should average take-home pay is “not more” than
EU-15.
holding a 24-hour strike on September Kioutsoukis, adding that all remaining paid less. greatly bring down operating costs and have been completed by 2004, has not yet 21,000 euros a year and that workers have
The question is now who will buy
14, later declared illegal, and three employees will have to sign new work “A worker cannot do all jobs. Rail travel times. been allowed to bear fruit. Only later this already lost, on average, 4,500 euros under
into TrainOSE, the network operator.
work stoppages the following day. contracts within five days of the law workers are by nature highly year, he said, will most of the projects be the measures imposed by the International
More work stoppages are scheduled being passed. specialised. Now, these specialisations Shocking Earlier this summer, French railway completed. Monetary Fund.
for September 21-23 and 28-30. This, he said, will see many will be abolished,” said Kioutsoukis, Only 199km of the 2,551km-long operator SNCF expressed an interest “The debt was not created by the rail Privately, however, another union source
in helping restructure its Greek employees, but by the lack of development,” admitted that train engineers drivers enjoy
“Reppas’ new proposals will not specialised employees reclassified as who said safety will be the first victim network is electrified, one of the lowest
of the changes. rates in Europe. counterpart. Kioutsoukis said. much higher salaries than their fellow OSE
“France, through the SNCF, is very Theodoropoulos also pointed out that, employees, much of it resulting from
Kioutsoukis articulates the fears of It’s a shortcoming that has been
Rail map of Greece a workforce which sees itself as being long criticised by passengers, who feel interested in the modernisation of like ferry boat and airline companies, OSE overtime and bonuses.
Greek railways,” French Transport is obliged under law to operate trains on so- As part of its restructuring plan, the
made scapegoats for OSE’s that they have been given no say in the
Minister Dominique Bussereau said called unprofitable routes, but without ever government has announced that it plans to
considerable failings. He dismissed the future of the rail system in
Pythio after meeting Reppas in Athens receiving a state subsidy for doing so, unlike assume OSE’s debt.
Promachonas claim that the organisation is Greece.
in July. the sea and air transport companies. Damian Mac Con Uladh
Eidomeni On September 16,
a number of French interest
Florina
To the consternation commuter groups concerns both infra-
Alexandroupoli structure projects and
Thessaloniki of trade unionists, launched a
managing Greek trains,
campaign called
the Reppas plan envisages
Kozani
the transfer of
Greek Rail SOS,
in opposition to
Bussereau added,
without giving further
details.
Kalambaka
2,800 OSE employees
Karditsa Milies to other public-sector
posts Nikos
Lamia
Kioutsoukis
Halkida
overstaffed, saying that work rates and
personnel are proportionately the same
Patra Athens
as those in France.
Olympia Korintho For him and his members, the
company has been allowed to fester,
Nafplio
preventing it from realising its full
Kyparissia
potential.
Kalamata In this context he mentioned the
fact that many of OSE’s long overdue The Axios River railway bridge
Eurokinissi
infrastructural projects will be between the Polykastro-Eidomeni
completed only later this year. One of section, northern Greece
these projects is the electrification of