Hellenic Railways is moving forward with a major investment to upgrade the training and operational readiness of its staff, having signed two contracts for the supply of a total of 14 new simulators.
The contracts cover the supply of 6 train driver training simulators, as well as 8 traffic control and remote management simulators for station masters.
The new simulators are expected to be delivered by 2026 and will serve as a key tool for upgrading the training of train drivers, stationmasters, traffic controllers, and other personnel in critical roles. They will simulate more than 500 kilometers of key Greek railway routes, enabling training under realistic operating conditions. Through the simulators, staff will be able to train in both normal traffic scenarios and degraded or emergency conditions, such as signal violations, speeding, unforeseen incidents on the network, and ETCS operation. This enhances practical training, reaction readiness, and skill assessment in a safe and fully controlled environment.
The train driver training simulators will include physical driving and braking controls, high-resolution display systems, touchscreens, and other functions, as well as electric locomotive simulation software.
The traffic control and remote management simulation system will include eight trainee stations and one instructor station, enabling the simulation of electronic safety systems, signaling, remote control, and operational traffic management scenarios.
With this investment, Hellenic Railways is establishing a new foundation for more practical, repeatable, and assessable training, with the aim of strengthening operational discipline, shared understanding among critical specialties, and the overall safety of the Greek railway.
“For Hellenic Railways, training is not a mere formality. It is a fundamental pillar of safety, reliability, and operational readiness. With the procurement of these simulators, our personnel in critical roles will be able to train under realistic operating conditions, test scenarios involving degraded operations and emergencies, and be evaluated in a more systematic manner.
The modernization of the railway is not just about the tracks, systems, and infrastructure. It is also about how we train, prepare, and support the staff who keep the network running every day. “This is precisely the role that the new Railway Academy is designed to serve,” said Christos Palios, CEO of Hellenic Railways.
Konstantinos Kyranakis, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, stated: “Safety begins with training. From our very first days at the Ministry, we set a very specific goal: for training on the Greek railways to cease being primarily theory, paperwork, and procedures, and to transition to a modern and practical model, with realistic simulation of operating conditions.
The procurement of the new simulators is an important step in this direction. Train drivers, station masters, and traffic control personnel must be able to train for all scenarios: from normal operation to signal violations, speeding, ETCS operation, degraded conditions, and emergencies.”