On 28 February 2023, a passenger train and a freight train collided in Thessaly, Greece, resulting in the deaths of at least 36 people and injuries to at least 85 others, making it the deadliest railway accident in Greece since 1968. Background A passenger train departed from Athens at around 7:30 p.m. Eastern European Time (5:30 p.m. UTC) carrying approximately 350 passengers from Athens to Thessaloniki. Meanwhile, a freight train was travelling from Thessaloniki to Larissa. Both trains were hauled by an electric Class 120 locomotive (pictures of the wreck show the remains of locomotives 120-022 and 120-012). The two collided on the Athens-Thessaloniki railway, which is operated by Hellenic Train, a subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, Italy's state-owned railway company. The accident section was double-tracked and had automatic controls installed but switching and signalling was still being done manually. The president of the Greek train drivers' union said that the accident "would have been avoided if the safety systems were working". Already earlier the same day, at Palaiofarsalos railway...