In order to combat the increasing theft of materials from its railway network that have had a negative impact on its services, TRAINOSE has requested 35 special guards from the Ministry of Public Order.
Furthermore the penalties for stealing copper from the railway network will increase significantly, as the latest damages for the Acharnes-Tithorea line alone have been estimated to be at 25 million euros.
The electric railway project had a budget of 160 million euros, which ballooned to 200 million euros and was supposed to be operational by the end of 2008. The theft of kilometers of copper from the network has meant that TRAINOSE had had to rely on fossil fuels, further increasing the cost of operation and maintenance.
The Ministry of Growth and Infrastructure will include the amendment in the upcoming bill on the operation of the «KTEL» cross-country bus services. SDOE will also increase its investigation of foundries and scrap yards which might be dealing in stolen materials.
The 35 special guards, who will be paid by TRAINOSE, will be tasked with providing security on the trains, as there have been cases where fascist gangs attempt to inspect tickets – without any authority- and terrorize passengers.
