Trainose, the passenger and freight rail carrier in Greece, has cited significant financial damage incurred by a continued closure of the country's main north-south rail line at the Idomeni border post, on Greece’s northern frontier with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM).
Trainose, the passenger and freight rail carrier in Greece, has cited significant financial damage incurred by a continued closure of the country's main north-south rail line at the Idomeni border post, on Greece’s northern frontier with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM).
The rail line continues to be blocked by Mideast refugees and assorted other groups of migrants stranded at a mud-soaked makeshift camp on the Greek border.
Trainose’s major customers, such as port operator Cosco, HP and Sony, are reportedly studying the prospect of demanding compensation from the rail operator due to delayed cargo transports from Greece to the rest of Europe.
The train station at Idomeni remained closed for an eighth day on Monday, the second such closure in the recent period. Alternative routes via Bulgaria add a day and a half to delivery time, with an added cost of five to 10,000 euros per freight car.
According to reports, the border closings – a reaction by the neighboring country to the previously unabated flow of refugees and migrants through Greece towards preferred destinations in western Europe -- have upset Cosco’s major clients. The Chinese multinational holds the Piraeus container port concession, a burgeoning point of entry for goods then shipped by rail and truck to other parts of Europe.
The rail line at Idomeni, the primary route leading north out of Greece, has been blocked for a total of 25 days by the third country nationals, part of efforts to pressure other European governments to lift their border controls.
Trainose, one of a handful of state-run entities eyed for prospective privatization, said damages so far reach 1.5 million euros from the refugee crisis.
FYRoM authorities have also at times shut down the rail line, charging that it is used as an easy – and at times dangerous – route for irregular migrants sneaking into the landlocked country. They also charge that Greek police are not properly patrolling the site.