ATHENS – The Infrastructure & Transport Ministry leaders made great efforts to upgrade the railroad system in Greece, State Minister Akis Skertsos said on Friday evening, “but unfortunately we ignored the human factor” and its critical role.

In an interview at the evening newscast of Star TV, Skertsos said, “From 2015 on, the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) had a significant number of departures, while only 24-25 hirings took place between 2015 and 2019. There was, that is, a dearth of stationmasters in critical roles for the system’s operation. Under our government, we set in motion the hiring of 214 people.”

Skertsos underlined the need for “a constant investments in human resources, and a continuing care for their training on new systems.” The Greek railroads, he added, have “a half-completed reform and transition to a new era and reality, that was not supported as it should have with the proper tools.” During the memorandum years, he underlined, suffered from a great loss of disinvestment and cutbacks on expenditures.