ATHENS – Some 19 months after a head-on train collision killed 57 people, Greek railway workers said they will strike for a day on Sept. 26 in a protest against safety measures still in limbo despite government promises otherwise.

In a statement, the unions of Hellenic Train, the Italian state-owned operator of Greece’s railways, said the deaths – including 11 of its workers – “highlighted the long-standing issues faced by railway workers and the state’s neglect of the railway system,” as an investigation into what went wrong is dragging on.

They said they want more staff hired, implementation of the union’s safety proposals for passengers and workers, replacing outdated trains, and additional training for drivers and technicians among other demands.

“Despite management’s assurances that safety would be their top priority, along with promises of immediate, medium-term, and long-term interventions, the problems persist, making it difficult for our colleagues to work efficiently and safely,” the statement said.

Then transport minister Kostas Karamalis quit after the tragedy and said he hadn’t had time in nearly four years in the position to complete safety measures, including electronically, but escaped being charged and was elected to Parliament.

In June, the Union of Train Drivers (PEPE) said that the railway system was still a danger to passengers because the government hadn’t installed systems designed to reduce the risks but got no response.

The group sent another warning letter – it has given similar cautions before that were ignored, including not long before the head-on collision that was blamed on a stationmaster on duty only a few days after reports he was inadequately trained.

The letter from the drivers was sent to the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) and Hellenic Train, with no reports of a response as a largely secret investigation has revealed little and a survey found most Greeks believe in a coverup.

“Despite our constant appeals to you to restore the intensifying problems of the rolling stock, but also of the railway infrastructure, we witness damage incidents daily, which endanger the physical integrity of both passengers as well as our fellow train drivers,” the statement also said.

The new fears came only 10 days after the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) also  recommended the urgent implementation of safety measures, indicating that the trains still aren’t safe.

That also was in a letter to the Railway Regulatory Authority (RAS) as well as OSE and the Ministry among others, including the Italian company that operates the railways and has escaped any scrutiny so far.

The ERA stated that the New Democracy government, which largely kept the investigation into the cause of the crash secret, should improve communication between station masters and drivers but there’s no reports of what’s been done.