Evacuation of Greek refugee camp clears way for railway

Record ID: 102085

  • Title: Evacuation of Greek refugee camp clears way for railway
  • Date: 25th May 2016
  • Summary: IDOMENI, GREECE (FILE - APRIL 18, 2016) (REUTERS) MIGRANTS SITTING ON TRACKS BLOCKING TRACKS IN PROTEST AS POLICE WATCH MIGRANTS SITTING ON TRACKS AS PART OF PROTEST MIGRANT WOMEN WITH BABIES IN THEIR LAPS SITTING ON TRACKS IN PROTEST BABY IN WOMAN'S ARMS VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS PITCHING A TENT ON THE RAILWAY TRACKS AS PART OF PROTEST
  • Embargoed: 9th June 2016 12:46
  • Keywords: refugees migrants European Union border Macedonia Greece asylum Idomeni camp
  • Location: IDOMENI AND EVZONI, GREECE
  • City: IDOMENI AND EVZONI, GREECE
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0034JB3BK7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: QUALITY AS INCOMING
    Greek authorities on Wednesday (May 25) continued evacuating a migrants camp on the Greek-Macedonian border, also clearing the railway tracks passing through the camp, which have been closed for more than two months by protesters.
    In an operation that started on Tuesday (May 24) just over 2,000 migrants were bussed from the Idomeni border camp to government receptions centres.
    Police also started clearing tents and moving protesting migrants off the railway tracks. The protest on the tracks for the last 66 days has caused the ire of transport businesses who have been unable to move their goods by rail. In recent days construction workers started to erect a fence around the tracks.
    "This should have happened a long time ago. The (railway) line has been closed for 66 days. It is a big loss, we lost clients, we lost money, time and our credibility. I hope that the (railway) line will open now and will not close again," said Anastasios Sachpelidis, representative of Transporters Association of Northern Greece, on Tuesday.
    A police source said some 200 - 300 migrants were still blocking the train tracks on Wednesday, down from 1,000 on Tuesday. The source said they expected to gradually remove everyone from the tracks.
    Authorities have not said when the tracks will be operational again.
    The closure complicated the privatisation of Greece's rail freight business. As part of a deal with its international partners to receive desperately needed funding, Athens agreed to sell off assets such as the railway operator TRAINOSE.
    Greece's state railways company OSE, which owns the tracks, had to stop wagons running through Idomeni to safeguard people's safety, an OSE employee told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
    When the Idomeni border was open, roughly eight freight trains ran daily back and forwards to central Europe. At present, just four trains run a longer route through neighbouring Bulgaria, meaning higher transport costs for Greek importers and exporters.
    An exporters association in northern Greece, representing some 500 businesses, said the situation at Idomeni had stunted efforts to kick start the economy after six years of recession.
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