Migrant blockades of train tracks in northern Greece hit commerce
Trainose, the company that manages Greece’s state-owned railway system, has said that a blockade of the tracks at the country’s northern border has led to losses in excess of around 1.5 million euros.
Speaking to Skai on Tuesday, Trainose CEO Thanasis Ziliaskopoulos said that about 1,800 cars waiting to cross the border between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) have been affected by protests as an estimated 1,500 refugees and migrants remain stuck at the crossing as they try to make their way deeper into Europe.
About a dozen or so protesters have been lying or camping out on the tracks since November 18 in demand that FYROM relax its border controls, following its decision in the wake of the Paris terror attacks to bar entry to what it deems are “economic migrants.”
Ziliaskopoulos said that Trainose has been receiving complaints from some of its biggest clients – including Cosco, Hewelett Packard and Sony – over the delays in shipments, adding that contracts may be at stake unless the situation is resolved, particularly given the pre-holiday rush to meet orders.
