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Organismós Sidirodrómon Elládos

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Organismós Sidirodrómon Elládos (Greek: Οργανισμός Σιδηροδρόμων Ελλάδος, the Hellenic Railways Organisation) is the Greek national railway company, operating both freight and passenger trains on a network which includes lines in the Peloponnese, mainland Greece, parts of Macedonia and Thrace, as well as new lines connecting Thessaloniki to Istanbul and Sofia.

History of the Greek railways

Greece became independent in 1832, the birth of the newly formed sovereign state coinciding with the start of the railway era. By 1835 plans were being put to the Greek state to construct a railway line from Athens to the nearby port of Piraeus. 22 years later, in 1857, a contract for its construction was signed and the work commenced. It took four different companies a further twelve years to lay the 8.8 kilometres of track, the work being completed in 1869.

The social and economic structure of Greece towards the end of the 19th century was founded on a collection of small agricultural towns acting as marketplaces for the surrounding villages. There was little industry and few roads. The government hoped that the development of a railway system would go some way towards redressing this lack of internal and external communication, and in 1881 the Prime Minister, Alexandros Koumoundouros signed four contracts for the laying of standard gauge (1.435 metre) lines. The intention was to make Greece a pivotal point on the journey between Europe and India.

In the following year, 1882, Koumoundouros was replaced by Charilaos Trikoupis as Prime Minister, who cancelled the contracts, replacing them with four of his own. He had a different political vision for the railways, seeing them as a way of stimulating the internal growth of Greece, and proposed a 417 km narrow gauge (1.0 metre) system encircling the Northern Peloponnese, with a separate system in Thessaly linking the port of Volos with the town of Kalambaka on the other side of the Thessalian plain. There was also a line of 76 km to be laid from Athens to Lavrion, on the Peninsula to the South of Athens. Trikoupis preferred narrow gauge over standard gauge due to cheaper initial construction costs. The line linking Athens to Larissa, which was planned to eventually join with the European system, was constructed to standard gauge. The network took 25 years to complete, 20 years longer than the 5 anticipated by Trikoupis.

At the beginning of the 20th century there was very limited trade between the scattered Greek villages and towns, a typical feature of pre-capitalist society, and the anticipated income to be obtained from the railways was never realised either to the benefit of the contracting companies or the Greek state. However, it did establish a base for future development.

By 1909, 1,606 km. of track had been laid, including the main standard gauge line to the then Greek - Turkish border at Papapouli, past the Tempi valley, some 400 km North of Athens. The first trains to run the full 506 kilometres from Athens to Thessaloniki on standard gauge track marked the completion of the line in 1918, which by then was running entirely on Greek territory.

Network and Stations

Although the Greek railway system is still basic, it is expanding and developing. Of unusual interest is the fact that it included what was possibly the longest metre-gauge railway system in operation in Europe, the Peloponnese network. This was 731 km in length, with a terminus in Piraeus, the Port of Athens. The "Peloponissos" station in Athens is an elegant building, of considerably more architectural interest and merit than its neighbour, the "Larissis" main line standard gauge station. However it is no longer in use and the track has been removed. The terminus at Piraeus has been rebuilt as the terminus of the new suburban railway system, the Proastikos. The line ran from Athens to Corinth, where it divided into two, the two parts encircling the Northern Peloponnese. The track still runs from the North West of Athens alongside the coast as far as Corinth, but this section is not used for passenger transport and rarely for any other purpose. From Isthmus there is a 6 km branch line to Loutraki but services have also ceased on this line. Because the Corinth - Diavolitsi part of the Corinth - Argos - Tripoli - Kalamata line is still (as of January 2008) closed due to construction work, only the Kiato - Patras - Pyrgos - Kalamata line and a number of branch lines are in normal service.

Piraeus, some 15 km to the South, is also the southern terminus of the standard gauge line, which runs to Thessaloniki and then on to Ormenion on the Bulgarian border, from where the line continues to Bulgarian border town of Svilengrad. From Piraeus to Thessaloniki is 520 kilometres. There are four branch lines, amounting to an additional 189 km.

The longest section of the line, 615 km, is from Thessaloniki eastwards to the Port of Alexandroupolis in Eastern Greece. Then the line continues Northwards, where it runs for the most part alongside the Evros River, marking the border between Greece and Turkey. At Pythio it crosses into Turkey from whence it continues to Istanbul. On the Greek side the line continues to Ormenion, the Northernmost place in Greece. From Alexandroupolis to Ormenio is 120 km, making a total distance of 735 km from Thessaloniki to Ormenion.

A 1 metre gauge line originally ran from Volos to Kalambaka (Meteora), a distance of 162 km. The section from Palaio Farsalas to Kalambaka has been replaced with standard gauge track and is in regular use. That from Palaio Farsalas to Velestino and Volos is disused.

There are two other short independent narrow gauge lines: the partially restored 0.6 metre gauge line of 27 km, 22 currently in use from Ano Lechonia to Milies, for a Saturday and Sunday excursion train. This climbs Mount Pelion to Milies, 420 metres above sea level, and was constructed by Evaristo de Chirico between 1892 and 1900. The second is the "Odontotos" - the "Train with teeth", a picturesque 750 mm gauge railway, completed in 1896. This incorporates a rack and pinion system for part of its journey of 22.4 km, climbing from sea level at Diakofto on the Northern Peloponnese line to Kalavryta, a height of 720 metres. Both these lines are of outstanding scenic interest.

As in most European Union countries, administration of the railway infrastructure and the railway operating companies using the network to provide passenger and freight transportation services are separated from each other. Within this framework, EDISY S.A. is the manager of the Greek national railway infrastructure. The document Network Statement, published by EDISY S.A., gives a detailed description of the Greek railway network.

Lines in service (2008) - Domestic Services

Athens - Lamia - Larissa - Thessaloniki - Alexandroupoli - Ormenio

The main line of the Greek Railway System (standard gauge) is divided into two sections: Athens to Thessaloniki, a distance of 520 kilometres and Thessaloniki to Ormenio (border with Turkey) via Alexandroupoli.

There is a branch line from Oinoi, 52 km to the North of Athens, to Halkida (22 km). The line from Volos to Kalambaka Meteora, formerly metre gauge but now standard gauge from Palaiopharsalas to Kalambaka/Meteora, crosses the main line at Palaiopharsalos. Only the section to Kalambaka is in operation at present, the Eastern section to Velestino maintaining its metre gauge track, maintained by enthusiasts but rarely used. Another branch line runs from Larissa to Volos (61 km). This is standard gauge, single track with passing places and has an hourly service (January 1998).

Platy, 472 km North of Athens and 48 km to the West of Thessaloniki is the point where Athens and Thessaloniki were first linked by rail in 1916. Trains commenced their operations between the two cities in 1918, the first through train service from Athens to Paris linking up with the Orient Express being inaugurated in 1920. There is a junction here with the line from Thessaloniki to Amyntaion, Kozani and Florina. The line continues across flatland until the suburbs of Thessaloniki are reached at Sindos.

The engine sheds and marshalling yards for trains from Athens are at the southern end of the main line in Piraeus, the port of Athens. The line runs through the suburbs of Piraeus and Athens, parallel to the former Peloponnese line, now superseded by the Proastiakos suburban service as far as Larissis Station in Athens, a distance of 15 km. Continuing through the northern suburbs of Athens, it runs to Agioi Anargoi, which is where the Peloponnese line used to branch off westwards, and in fact the narrow gauge track is still in place from this point on. The main line continues northwards. This section climbs steadily to Oinoi, through rural and wooded countryside, typical of northern Attica. From Oinoi to Tithoreia the line is double-track continuously welded rail allowing for high speed running across the flat Thiva plain. The line reverts to single track as it climbs alongside Mount Parnassus from Amphikleia to Bralos. There is a 23 km branch line from Lianokladi passing through Lamia to Stylis. The mountain scenery on this section of the line, which extends to Larissa, is spectacular, as is the Vale of Tempe. From Larissa to Thessaloniki the trains run on high speed double track, passing through a tunnel at Tempe. The picturesque line adjacent to the coast from Rapsani at the northern end of Tempe to Katerini is now abandoned, though still visible, and has been replaced by a high speed section of double track. There are fine views of mountain and sea as the train travels along the eastern slopes of Mount Olympus to Katerini. From Katerini to Thessaloniki the line joins the Kozani and Florina section at Platy. There are substantial marshalling yards for both goods and passenger trains in Thessaloniki.

Journey time between Athens and Thessaloniki can vary depending on the type of train selected. The normal train takes approximately 6 hours, the Express(E) train 5h 30mins, the InterCity(IC) 5h and the InterCity Express (ICE) 4h 15mins (Jan. 2008 Timetables).

Larissa - Volos

The Standard gauge branch line from Larissa to the port of Volos (61 km) was completed as recently as 1960. A single track line, It branches off the main Athens - Thessaloniki line to the north east of Larissa, crossing the Northern part of the Thessalian Plain to Velestino, where there is a junction with the now disused Volos - Palaio Farsala section of the 1 m. gauge line to Kalambaka-Meteora. From Velestino it descends rapidly to the port of Volos, running parallel to the narrow gauge line for a small part of its journey. Both lines terminate at Volos, which also used to be the terminus for the Pelion narrow gauge line to Milies. Engine sheds and marshalling yards at Volos are home to many abandoned relics of the Greek railway system. There is a regular service on this line. The station at Volos was at one time unique in being the terminus of three different gauges of railway line: standard gauge, metre gauge and 60 cm gauge.

Thessaloniki - Edessa - Amyntaio - Kozani / Florina

This line runs from Thessaloniki to Edessa, Amyntaio, Kozani and Florina. Leaving the Thessaloniki - Athens line at Plati, it runs alongside the Aliakmon river, through Alexandria and then on to Veria, Naoussa and Skydra, before climbing to Edessa and Amyntaio. At Amyntaio the line branches into two, the Kozani branch serving Ptolemaida and power stations of the State Electricity commpany, DEH (Railway Line Kozani - Amyntaio), and the Florina branch running parallel to Greek Interstate GR2 before entering a picturesque 10 km. stretch along the southern shores of Lake Vegoritida. There is a regular train service on this line.

Peloponnese

Major changes are in progress on the Peloponnese section and details are liable to change. Information on these changes are to be found on the official OSE site, http://www.ose.gr/echome.asp?lang=2 but the actual situation is too fluid to be regarded as accurate. Nevertheless, as one of the remaining narrow gauge railways still operating in Europe, this is an important entry.

Athens - Corinth - Kiato

The old, metric gauge line, which ran from Piraeus through Athens to Corinth, now remains in operation only between Agii Anargiri and Corinth for departmental and freight services, the track from Piraeus to this point having been removed. It is double track as far as Kiato. The line is not electrified and after Ano Liossia runs north and west of the Aegaleo mountain range, into Eleusis and onwards to the Megara plain. After 9 km it reaches Kakia Skala, running between the old and new highways. It then continues between the mountain and the sea, passing next to the Corinth Refinery, crossing the Corinth Canal into the Peloponnese and on into the Old Station in Corinthon the Southern banks of the Gulf of Corinth.

The new, double track standard gauge line, starts from a new station in Piraeus on the site of the old Narrow Gauge Peloponnese terminus. The short stretch from Piraeus to Athens Central ("Stathmos Larissis") is an interesting one, passing the marshalling yards at Rentis where some old rolling stock can be seen, and the freight and parcels handling station of Rouf, which has a "railway theatre" utilising disused rolling stock and a disused "2-10-2" steam locomotive standing in a siding. It is not yet double track for its entire length, for example the line between Rouf and Athens Central (Larissis Station) is still single track, descending through the "cavern" under the road. There is considerable traffic on this stretch as it serves both the new "suburban" railway (Proastikos) and the main line to Thessaloniki and the Halkida (Chalkis) branch as well as other destinations served by Athens. From Athens it journeys north to Acharnai Railway Centre (SKA), west into Elefsis and Megara Plains, and through tunnels in the "Kakia Skala" area, north of Agioi Theodoroi. The new line then crosses the Corinth Canal over a new bridge and then into the New Corinth Station. Currently (2008) the line extends to the town of Kiato, where passengers change to the metric line trains to Patras and beyond.

Kiato - Patras

The original narrow gauge line to Patras, continuing to Kalamata, runs through attractive scenery along the south side of the Gulf of Corinth, the northern coast of the Peloponnese. At Diakofto, a seaside resort between Corinth and Patras, there is a junction with the Diakofto 75 cm gauge line which climbs to a height of 720 m. during a 22 km journey to Kalavryta through the Vouraikos Gorge. This is the notable rack and pinion railway, known to Greeks as the "Odontotos" ("The train with teeth").

The main line continues alongside the gulf passing to the north of Aigio and on to Patras. The Patras train station is situated next to the port near Othonos-Amalias Avenue. An old steam locomotive, c. 1900, lies to the east, and the freight yard is to the northeast next to Norman Street. Although work is in progress on upgrading the line from Kiato to Patras this has not yet been completed and the track is still the original metre gauge rail over this section.

Patras - Lechaina - Pyrgos - Olympia

The line Patras - Kato Achaia - Lechaina - Amaliada - Pyrgos - Olympia is about 150 km long and runs through the prefectures of Achaia and Ilia. The train runs to the east of Akti Dymaion and alongside the Gulf of Patras between the old and the new highways as far as Kato Achaia, where it passes along the bed of the ravine, 4 km from GR-9/E55 to Lappa. The route then runs to the north of forested land, passing into Nea Manolada, then west of the highway to Lechaina. There used to be a junction with the Kavasila - Kyllini/Loutra Kyllinis branch line here, but this branch has now been abandoned. The line continues SW to Kardamas and then into Douneika, moving away from the hills before reaching Pyrgos. It passes Pyrgos to the north, shortly branching left to the south west, leaving the main line for Kyparissia and Kalamata. The track runs into the hills, passing through Varvasena and then into the terminus at Olympia. Another branch line, recently modernized (2007), goes from Pyrgos to the nearby port of Katakolo.

Pyrgos - Zacharo - Kyparissia

The line runs along the bed of the Alpheus river, east of GR-9/E55, then through Zacharo and into the plain westward with a few forested hills northwest of Kaiafa. It runs for most of its length west of the highway, passing into Zacharo and through Neochori and Tholon. The track then crosses to the right through an underpass, leaving the main line to Kalamata via Oichalia at Kalo Nero. The line ends in Kyparissia where a freight yard is located.

Corinth - Argos - Nafplion - Tripoli - Kalamata

NOTE: THIS SECTION OF THE LINE IS NOT CURRENTLY IN USE --

The line branches off from the Athens - Corinth - Patras line, 1 km SW of Corinth, then passes through Argos, where there is a branch line of 10 km from Argos to Nafplion. It continues on to Tripoli and Lefktro where a short branch line connects Megalopoli to the main line. In Zevgolatio the line joins the line from Pyrgos - Kyparissia and continues on to Kalamata. This line used to continue from the main station of Kalamata to the old station of "Kalamata Limin" (Kalamata Harbor), now used as an open air railway museum, and it came to an end at the Port of Kalamata. Track of this last section from Kalamata main station to the port still exists but is not any more in use.

Work is in progress on this section of the line and details are liable to change. Passenger services on sections between Corinth, Argos, Tripolis and Nafplion were expected to resume in January 2008, but this is highly speculative as there was no sign of readiness on January 19th.

Messene - Kalamata

This single track line is a branch of the Corinth–Argos–Tripoli–Kalamata line and is 4,7km long. The branch starts at Asprochoma then the track follows the GR-82 road closely on the southern side. The line was opened in 1892 and linked Kalamata with Messene where a station building and a freight yard were built. It was closed in 1976 but the tracks were not removed.

The line has been recently rebuilt and reopened in September 2007. A new halt at Kalamata airport (military base entrance) is under construction.

Pelion Railway Line


The 0.60 metre gauge 27 km line from Volos to Milies, a distance of 28 km, was constructed between 1903 and 1906, by the Italian engineer, Evaristo De Chirico. The railway was first opened in 1906. It is an independent line, not a continuation of the 1 metre gauge Volos to Kalambaka line. Although abandoned in the 1970s, it has been restored from Ano Lechonia to Milies. At the time of writing (March 2006) a twice weekly "tourist train" operates during the summer on Saturdays and Sundays. This is occasionally headed by one of the two restored 2-6-0 steam locomotives. The train climbs to a height of 450 metres during its 22 km journey from Ano Lechonia, a journey which takes one and a half hours. The old station at Milies has been converted into a restaurant with guest rooms. When all three gauge railways were operating from Volos this gave the station the unique distinction of being terminus to three different gauges of railway. The Pelion railway played a major role in the economic development of the Pelion region. The stations that serve this line are rarely operational, but they still exist.

International Services

Thessaloniki - Istanbul

Thessaloniki - Sofia

In addition to the Thessaloniki - Sofia service, there's also a daily service from Athens/Thessaloniki to Svilengrad in South-East Bulgaria.

Thessaloniki - Bucharest

Much of the old track to the North of Saloniki has been replaced, upgraded and improved. A new service was Launched on July 8, 2005, connecting Thessaloniki to Istanbul in 11 hours and 30 minutes instead of the 14 hours and 30 minutes of the previous service and the services from Thessaloniki to Sofia and Bucharest have also been improved, journey times being cut substantially by the re-alignment of part of the line and the upgrading of the track and facilities.

Abandoned lines

Paleofarsalos - Velestino - Volos

This was formerly a metre gauge line throughout its length, however the track from Paleofarsalos to Kalabaka/Meteora is now standard gauge, and there is a regular service from the junction with the main Athens - Thessaloniki line at Paleofarsalas. The remainder of the metre gauge line from Paleofarsalos to Volos is disused, though in part maintained by enthusiasts.

Peloponnese

Kavasila - Vartholomio - Kyllini

The line, including a branch to the Thermal Springs of Kyllini was closed down in the 1980s.

The line was about 20 km long in total. It had railway stations in Vartholomio with a freight yard, Loutra Kyllinis, Neochori and Kyllini with no building. It was run by SPAP. The line had 4 railway crossings. The line was closed with the opening of the Neochori Bypass north of Neochori in the early 2000s.

Epirus - West Greece - Central Greece

Krioneri - Messolonghi - Agrinio

This metre gauge line that was opened in the 1890's linked the small port of Krioneri with Messolonghi and Agrinio. A short branch from Katolikon to Katoche was in operation from 1912 to 1940. From Krioneri to Patras a ferryboat service was provided. The expense of the ferry and increase in car traffic led to the closure of the line in 1970.

In the 1990's a scheme to restore and reopen the line was started. The track was modernized and work finished in 2003 but passenger services have not been restored, due to lack of personnel and rolling stock.

Athens urban railways. Piraeus - Monastiraki - Iraklio - Lavrio - Kifissia

This line, the first in Greece, opened in 1869. It ran for a distance of 8 km from the port of Piraeus to Thissio in Athens. In 1926, Greek Electric Railways S.A., a new company, created by the co-operation of Attica Railways S.A. and the English "Power Group", took over operation of the line between Piraeus and Omonia. Attica Railways also ran a suburban line from Lavrio Square, to the north of Omonia Square, to Iraklio in northern Athens. It involved a section of street running, along the present 3rd September Street, from Lavrio Square to Attiki Square, beyond which it ran on a dedicated trackbed. At Iraklio, the line forked to form two suburban branches. One went further north via Maroussi to Kifissia, while the other ran eastwards to Vrilissia (at a point very near to the present Plakentias station) and then southwards to Peania, Koropi, Marcopoulo, Kalyvia, Keratea, Kamariza and its terminus at Lavrio. A history of the origins and development of the Athens urban lines from 1869 to the present day can be found at http://www.urbanrail.net/eu/ath/athens-metro-line1.

Headquarters

The headquarters of OSE are at 1-3 Karolou St., Athens 104 37, Greece.

Additional resources

  • Greek Trainscapes - Handrino, Kakavas, Fotis
  • Stations, Trains and Horizons - Yannis Skoulas
  • Stations in History - Lefteris Papayanakis

References

External links



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