A fight broke out between Konstantinos Kyranakis and George Karameros over the closure of Odontotos.
In a sharp post about the deputy minister responsible for transport, SYRIZA MP George Karameros has made a sharp post on the closure of the Odontotos railway. It is recalled that the historic tourist train connecting Kalavryta with Diakopto was suspended indefinitely last Thursday.
The Karameros question
In his post on social media, the SYRIZA leader said of Mr Konstantinos Kyranakis: “The minister who managed during his days to stop the operation of the cog railway Diakopto Kalavryta after 130 years.”
This is the first time that 130 years of the 130th anniversary of the closure of the Diaphragm Railway Station in Budapest, which was completed after 130 years of operation.
The opposition MP’s post provoked a reaction from the minister responsible, who responded with a similarly tendentious comment. “You are dangerous Mr. Karameros. Rocks of this size have been falling for the last month and you ask me to keep it open,” Kyranakis wrote, even attaching a photo of the Odontotos line.
.
Permanent threat of landslides on the line
The incidents of landslides on the Odontotos line are not only unknown. However, recently they have been recorded with increasing frequency, resulting in large volume stones and rocks ending up on the rails at various points along the line inside the Vouraikos Gorge. In some cases, the debris has even hit a train in motion.
.
The Odontotos railway line, about 22 kilometres long, was built in 1896 and is still considered one of the most important technical projects of the Greek railway. Following the natural morphology of the Vouraikos gorge, it crosses a particularly challenging geological environment, passing through narrow gorges, under steep slopes and alongside rocky hillsides.
It is precisely this geomorphology that makes the route unique but at the same time vulnerable to natural phenomena such as landslides and rock falls, especially during periods of intense weather.
.
The surveillance measures of the line
Faced with this situation, the Greek Railways (OSE) had already taken a series of measures to strengthen surveillance and risk prevention on the line. Before running services, the infrastructure was inspected and cleaned by an auxiliary project engine to remove stones and debris that may have ended up on the line. At the same time, a technician was on board the train on each running service in order to be able to intervene immediately if an infrastructure issue arose during the journey. Seismographic and meteorological stations have also been installed in the area to continuously monitor natural phenomena that may affect the line.
However, despite the increased surveillance and prevention measures, the intensity of natural phenomena and the frequency of landslides cannot exclude the risk of rocks falling on the tracks. The images now being recorded at several points on the line, with large rocks falling directly onto the tracks where trains pass, demonstrate the seriousness of the situation.
With these facts, the decision to suspend the operation of the Odontotos tourist route (Diakopto – Kalavryta) was considered – according to sources of the Agency – absolutely necessary for the manager of the railway infrastructure, at least until a new assessment of the conditions in the area is carried out and the necessary geological studies in the surrounding area of Chelmos are completed.
The agency’s action plan calls for an immediate and complete assessment of the extent of the phenomenon and determination of appropriate measures to ensure that the historic line can be reopened under conditions that guarantee the safety of passengers and workers.
