Report from EOADASAM on Tempi: “The samples do not meet the fire resistance standard

“The three samples clearly do not meet the fire resistance level of the EN 45545 standard regarding the Maximum Average Heat Release Rate test. However, the most important observation is that the samples “B4 OLD” and “B2 COUPE” are much lower in fire resistance than the “B4 OLD” sample.”

This is what the conclusions of the EOADASAM report say regarding the fire resistance of the seats from the IC62 train that collided at Tempi, resulting in the deaths of 57 people.

As noted in the analysis, which is supplementary to the initial report, samples were taken from three different seats from two different carriages and sent to laboratories in Germany for testing according to ISO 5660-1.

According to the report, the material was not the same in all the seats, as prescribed by the relevant regulations, which resulted in some seats on the Hellenic Train passenger train not meeting the standards they should have.

Specifically, the report states: “The sample “B4 OLD” has a dark brown intermediate layer for fire protection and shows comparatively better behavior. In contrast, the sample “B2 COUPE” lacks a distinct intermediate fire protection layer and shows the worst MAHRE index. Finally, the sample “B NEW” has a thin layer of white fibrous material, different from the “B4 OLD” sample, but it does not seem to contribute significantly to the material’s fire resistance.”

The seats from which samples were taken should have met the same technical specifications, as outlined in the initial procurement contracts, meaning they should have shown similar performance during testing. However, the finding of significantly better performance in the “B4 OLD” sample and the inferior performance of the “B4 NEW” sample compared to the “B4 OLD” sample demonstrates uneven mechanical behavior or quality of the examined materials in different positions.

Furthermore, the report clarifies that the samples were taken in December 2024 and sent by EOADASAM to the specialized RST laboratories in Germany for testing. However, the tests could not be completed before the publication of the Investigation Report. As a result, the fire resistance of the seats remained an open issue to be investigated. The RST laboratory sent the results to EOADASAM on 25/08/2025, and in this current report (which is an Appendix to the Investigation Report), the test results and related safety recommendations are presented.

New Safety Recommendation to Railways, Hellenic Train, and the Railway Regulatory Authority (RAS):

Even today, three years after the Tempi tragedy, EOADASAM makes a new safety recommendation to Hellenic Train, the Greek Railways, and the Railway Regulatory Authority (RAS), stating:

“The Hellenic Railways S.A. and Hellenic Train S.A., under the supervision of RAS, must take a series of actions to check and record the fire resistance level of the seats in the passenger carriages leased by Hellenic Train S.A. from Hellenic Railways S.A. and manage any safety risks identified through the application of appropriate measures.”

Hellenic Train is required to inventory:

a) The categories and types of seats currently in the passenger carriages, according to seat type, material, and the extent and time of any maintenance or repairs that may have been carried out on the seats.

b) The fire resistance type in each category of seat (e.g., installed intermediate layer, self-extinguishing fabric, and the type of these materials, etc.), and

c) Which seats meet the fire protection requirements of Regulation (EU) No. 1302/2014 or UIC Standard 564 2. “Identification, analysis, and evaluation of risks that may arise from the fire resistance status of the seats in the passenger carriages. Preparation of a proposal for maintenance, renovation, or upgrading works for the in-service passenger carriages based on the aforementioned inventory, considering maintenance records, safety performance, lifecycle status, and compliance with relevant technical specifications, in order to achieve uniformity in the fire resistance level of seats across all passenger carriages through appropriate measures.”

Moreover, as the operator and owner of the passenger carriages, Hellenic Railways is recommended to approve and implement the proposed work plan, should the need arise, in order to mitigate the identified risks, ensuring uniformity in the fire resistance level of seats in compliance with the fire resistance requirements of Regulation (EU) No. 1302/2014 or the relevant standards as outlined in this report.

Maintenance and why different samples were taken

As noted, under the rolling stock lease agreement between GAIAOSE and TRAINOSE, maintenance work was carried out on the IC62 carriages, except for the restaurant carriage. This is why more than one sample was taken, as explained in the report. “These maintenance works, according to the work logs, took place in 2020. Specifically, regarding seat repairs, fabric changes were made in some seats in carriages B3 and B4 in 2021. The finding that there are multiple different types of seat fabric/upholstery led to the collection of two different samples from the B4 carriage seats (B4 NEW & B4 OLD),” the report states.

“This repair was done using the original fabric material that was in stock at the Hellenic Train warehouse. It was observed that the fire retardant material of the two samples differs. The B4 OLD sample contains fire retardant material in a brown layer (aramid), resulting in a test result of 82 kW/m², while the B4 NEW sample has fire retardant material in a white layer (polyester), resulting in a test result of 141 kW/m², which is worse than the B4 OLD sample.”

It further adds that, in addition to the above-mentioned maintenance, Hellenic Train has concluded four contracts for the supply of spare parts and repair/maintenance of seats in carriages produced under Programmatic Contracts 41A and 41B since 2020. “These works included the supply and replacement of headrests/backrests for First and Second Class seats in P.S. 41A and replacement of foam, inner components, and reupholstering with fabric on some Second Class seats in P.S. 41B. These spare parts were installed as needed, depending on the seat wear identified during maintenance.”

In summary, from the submitted data, it is found that in this particular train, seat repairs were carried out on:

• 24 seats in carriage A1 on 20/02/2023 using spare parts from the contract.
• Seat bases in carriage B3, with fabric change from the original stock delivered to Hellenic Train.
• Seat bases in carriage B4 on 12/11/2021, with fabric change from the original stock delivered to Hellenic Train. This includes the “B4 NEW” sample, which refers to the seat in the IC62 passenger train.