Electric railway – Victim of serial vandalism

With 5 trains fewer than necessary for the adequate servicing of routes, Line 1 of the metro started today due to the well-known scourge of vandalism. The delays afflict the passengers almost every day, while the program is already operating at its limits, with the problem intensifying on the days of sports events at the Olympic Stadium.

Gradually, by noon, some trains were rerouted, reaching 13 of the 15 scheduled so that route servicing could take place.

According to an announcement by rail authority STASY, yesterday, Sunday 21/11/2021, six trains of Line 1 were attacked (broken panes on doors and windows), endangering the lives of passengers and employees in the operation of rail bound vehicles. In fact, in one of the 6 trains, the perpetrators broke all the windows of the train.

In addition, over the weekend, 10 ticket validation portals at Line 1 stations were severely damaged.

The phenomenon of train vandalism intensified, according to STASY, in the fall. There were 18 incidents in September, 17 in October, 14 incidents were recorded from the beginning of November until yesterday, while a total of 178 attacks having been reported since the beginning of 2021.

These damages, in addition to financially burdening the company, also cause serious problems in the proper execution of mass transit during a particularly difficult period. The trains that are under attack are withdrawn from circulation to undergo repairs, which causes disruptions in the execution of the routes and increase of the distances in a line with inherent problems due to the age of the trains.

The Management of STA.SY. is in constant communication on the matter with the Ministry of Civil Protection, the Greek Police, as well as the involved sports teams and requests once again to take additional measures for the effective guarding of the facilities, but also to locate and arrest the perpetrators.