A man was killed on Friday morning when a Hellenic Train passenger service from Piraeus to Kiato struck him as he attempted to cross tracks at a level pedestrian crossing on Konstantinoupoleos Street in central Athens, officials said.

The fatal incident has reignited calls to place more of Athens’ railway lines underground, though the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) acknowledges the enormous cost of such projects. Work is already under way on a similar project in Sepolia but is proceeding “at a snail’s pace,” officials said.

Railway safety advocates argue that pedestrian negligence, not trains, is the primary cause of accidents. “Trains aren’t the problem; cars kill far more people,” said Ilias Daivis, president of the Messinia Railway Friends Association.

“If pedestrians are careless, should we bury all roads too?”

OSE reports roughly 27 official level and pedestrian crossings along the 25-kilometer stretch between Piraeus and Agios Stefanos, in addition to overpasses. But many residents have illegally reopened closed crossings, creating what Daivis called a “sieve” of unauthorized paths.

In 2023, the Regulatory Authority for Railways recorded seven serious rail accidents, three at level crossings. Its annual safety report cited residents’ habit of crossing or walking along tracks where passage is banned, instead of using designated crossings, as a major cause.

Experts say Athens’ network has more crossings per kilometer than many European countries. Past data showed 1,250 crossings across Greece, reduced to 665 in 2023, partly due to flood damage from storm Daniel. Transport professor George Yannis supports burying tracks, questioning why railways “interrupt city traffic and endanger pedestrians.”

Transport expert Professor Vasileios Profyllidis called for halving crossings: “Should the focus be punishing violators or preventing deaths?”