The trial for the railway disaster at Tempe officially begins today, March 23, 2026, according to the decision of the Larissa Court of Appeals prosecutor. A total of 36 defendants will be called to testify about the fatal night of February 28, 2023, when the head-on collision of two trains caused the worst railway disaster in Greek history. More than three years after the tragedy, victims’ families await accountability through a complex judicial process.
Where and how the Tempe trial is conducted
The judicial proceedings take place at the University of Thessaly Conference Center in Larissa, in a specially configured space that has been prepared for months. The trial is expected to be long and complex, as it includes extensive case files, multiple technical reports and dozens of witnesses. The proceedings represent a crucial moment for fully clarifying the causes that led to the tragedy.
The 36 defendants: Who sits in the dock
Of the 36 defendants in the Tempe trial, 33 face felony charges, while the remaining three are charged with misdemeanors. The defendants come from various railway system and state entities. Larissa stationmaster Vasileios Samaras, who was responsible for the shift on the night of the accident, is at the top of the list. According to the prosecutor’s proposal, he had been placed in this position despite age limits. Along with him are charged Dimitrios Nikolaou, OSE Administration inspector in Larissa, as well as Konstantinos Pavlopoulos and Panagiotis Chamilos, the two stationmasters who allegedly abandoned their posts earlier.
OSE executives among the defendants
From OSE, many senior executives from different periods are charged. Konstantinos Mouroudelis served as Director of Railway Systems from July 2019 to September 2021. His position was taken by Ioannis Paleothodoros, who remained until the day of the accident and continues to serve.
The Tempe trial defendants also include Ioannis Kyriazopoulos, Executive Board Member responsible for supervising critical directorates, Petros Panopoulos and Grigorios Sabatakakis, who served as General Network Directors, as well as Zacharias Stournaras, Director of Electromechanical Systems Maintenance from 2019 to present.
Three former OSE Presidents and Managing Directors are charged: Panagiotis Theocharis (2018 to 2019), Konstantinos Spiliopoulos (2019 to 2020) and Spyridon Klearchos Pateras, who held the position at the time of the accident. Theofanis Athanasios Kottaras, Deputy Managing Director, completes the list of top organization executives.
Defendants from ERGOSE
From ERGOSE, the railway network infrastructure agency, a total of 16 people are charged. Three former Managing Directors are in the dock: Athanasios Vourdas, Christos Dionelis and Christos Vinis, who was simultaneously President. Dionysios Rappos, Project Director and head of the supervising service, is charged along with Konstantinos Venetsanakos, Dimitrios Tsotsoros and Emmanouil Georgilakis, who held positions as heads of project directorates.
Additionally, nine supervising railway systems and superstructure engineers are charged: Georgios Katakos, Vasileios Pappas, Apostolos Tsakiris, Nikolaos Denis, Anthimos Amanatidis, Pavlos Kouzis, Loukia Toumpanaki, Stamatios Eleftheriou and Konstantinos Chronakis.
Regulatory Authority and Ministry of Transport
Ioanna Tsiaparikkou, former President of the Railway Regulatory Authority, is among the defendants for her role in overseeing the safety system.
From the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, two high-ranking officials are charged: Georgios Patsiavos, Head of the General Directorate of Transport, and Aikaterini Demertzi, Head of the Railway Transport Directorate. Political ministers are examined separately under the law on ministerial responsibility.
Other defendants
Two senior Hellenic Train executives, Maurizio Capotorto and Luigi Bussoletti, face charges for serial manslaughter by negligence, serious and simple bodily harm by negligence.
Styliani Koliopoulou is charged with breach of duty, as she allegedly participated in a committee that approved the stationmaster’s transfer.
The charges they face
The indictment includes five basic acts. The first and most serious concerns dangerous interference with fixed-track transport with possible intent, resulting in deaths of a large number of people, serious bodily harm, significant damage to public utility facilities and danger to more persons and property.
The subsequent charges include serial manslaughter by negligence, serial serious bodily harm by negligence by a responsible person, serial simple bodily harm by negligence by a responsible person, and breach of duty.
For certain defendants the acts are characterized as committed continuously, for others as committed jointly, while there are combinations of both characterizations.
Penalties that may be imposed
The 33 defendants facing the felony of dangerous interference with transport with possible intent could be sentenced to life imprisonment, especially due to the multiple deaths caused. The misdemeanor charges faced by all 36 defendants, depending on the case, also carry serious prison sentences.
