Organismós Sidirodrómon Elládos
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| Organismos Sidirodromon Ellados (O.S.E.) | |
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| Type | State-owned company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1877 (Hellenic Railways) / January 1, 1971 (O.S.E.) |
| Headquarters | Athens, Greece |
| Key people | Prof. Nikolaos K. Baltas, chairman of the board |
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Products | Rail transport, Cargo transport, Services |
| Revenue |  |
| Operating income | |
| Net income | |
| Subsidiaries | Proastiakos ErgOSE TrainOSE EDISY GaiaOSE Emporevmatika Kentra |
| Slogan | Speeding to the Future (Με Ταχύτητα στο Μέλλον) |
| Website | Hellenic Railways Organisation |
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.
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[edit] 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 8.5 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 (1.43 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.
[edit] Lines in service (2006) - Domestic Services
[edit] Peloponnese
Major work is in progress on the Peloponnese section and details are liable to change.
[edit] Athens - Corinth - Patras
The Piraeus-Athens-Peloponnese Railway began in Piraeus with a freight yard that carried goods to other parts of the world. It used to run north of Piraeus along Piraeus Street and then for 6 km along Konstantinopouleos Avenue. The line to Corinth and Patras now starts from Larissis Station in Athens. The narrow gauge line has been replaced with standard gauge track. It runs north 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, running through the Corinth Refinery between the old and the new roads, under the motorway, continuing to the north side, and then crossing the Corinth Canal into the Peloponnes and on into Corinth along the Southern banks of the Gulf of Corinth. The southern section of the line, Corinth - Argos - Tripoli - Kalamata, leaves to the left shortly after the station at Corinth.
The Line to Patras and Kalamata now runs through attractive scenery along the south side of the Gulf of Corinth, crossing and recrossing beneath the motorway from Athens to Patras, along the north coast of the Peloponnese. At Diakofto, a small seaside resort between Corinth (75 km) and Patras (55 km), there is a junction with the Diakofto branch line (75 cm gauge) 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, where it ends to the north of the town. The Patras train station is situated near Othonos-Amalias Avenue, next to the square, the roadway to the port and the port. An old steam locomotive, c. 1900, lies to the east, and the freight yard is to the northeast next to Norman Street.
[edit] 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 until it reaches Kato Achaia, where it passes along the bed of the ravine, 4km from GR-9/E55 until it reaches Lappa. The route afterwards runs north of forested land, passing into Nea Manolada at its next stop. It then runs west of the highway as it passes near the hills until it reaches Lechaina. There used to be a junction with the Kavasila - Kyllini/Loutra Kyllinis branch line, 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, the route 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.
[edit] Pyrgos - Zacharo - Kyparissia
The line runs into the Alpheus and runs east of GR-9/E55 and through Zacharo and into the plain westward with a few forested hills northwest of Kaiafa. The line runs for most of the length west of the highway. It passes into Zacharo and through Neochori and Tholon. The track runs on the right side by an underpass. The train links with a line to Kalamata via Oichalia. The line ends in Kyparissia where a freight yard is located.
[edit] Corinth - Argos - Nafplion - Tripoli - Kalamata
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 Megalopoli, where there is a separate line and a branch line to Pyrgos - Kyparissia and Kalamata. The line continues from the town of Kyparissia to a freight yard and then to sidings, now used as an open air museum, and then to the Port of Kalamata.
Work is in progress on this section of the line and details are liable to change.
[edit] Thessaly - Macedonia - Thrace
[edit] Athens - Lamia - Larissa - Thessaloniki
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 metre-gauge line from Volos to Kalambaka Meteora crosses the main line at Palaiopharsalos. Only the section to Kalambaka is in operation at present. Another branch line runs from Larissa to Volos (61 km)
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 Peloponnese line, to the Larissa Station in Athens, a distance of 15 km. Continuing through the northern suburbs of Athens, it runs parallel to the Peloponnese line until Agioi Anargoi, where the Peloponnese line heads west and 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 7 hours, the Express(E) train 5h 30mins, the InterCity(IC) 5h and the InterCity Express (ICE) 4h 15mins (Dec. 2006 Timetables).
[edit] Larissa - Volos
The Standard gauge branch line from Larissa to the port of Volos (61km) 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.
[edit] 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 1970's, 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.
External link: The Pelion Railway
[edit] Kalabaka - Trikala - Karditsa - Velestino
Former metre gauge line, now standard gauge between Paleofarsalos and Kalabaka.
[edit] Kozani / Florina - Edessa - Skydra - Naoussa - Veria - Thessaloniki
This line begins west of Florina and runs in the southern part of Lake Vegoritida for 10 km south and runs north of GR-2 (Thessaloniki - Edessa - Florina), the rail runs into the plain and into Skydra, Naoussa and then near Veria. A clone of this line begin from Lake Vegolitida south until the last station in the city of Kozani. The line passes within the Aliákmon river valley and enters near Alexandria to connect with the Athens - Thessaloniki railway at Plati station near the prefecture of Thessaloniki.
[edit] Alexandroupoli - Komotini - Xanthi - Drama - Serres - Kilkis - Thessaloniki
This line begins from Alexandroupoli and runs in the southern part of the cities Komotini, Xanthi, Drama and Serres. After Serres continues from the northern side of Lake Kerkini, east of Lake Doirani and then south, from the west side of Kilkis until Thessalinki.
[edit] Interstate Lines
[edit] Thessaloniki - Istanbul
Launched on July 8, 2005, the new line connects Thessaloniki to Istanbul in 11 hours and 30 minutes (instead of 14 hours and 30 minutes travel time of the older line).
[edit] Thessaloniki - Sofia
This line was also launched along with the Thessaloniki - Istanbul line, reducing the travel time from 7hrs 40min to 5hrs 30min. Future plans for the line include the further expansion to Bucharest as well as the creation of new branch lines to Skopje and Belgrade.
[edit] Abandoned lines
[edit] Peloponnese
[edit] Messene - Kalamata
The line was a branch with the Corinth–Argos–Tripoli–Kalamata and was 5 km. It used to link with Messene and had a train station and a freight yard. The track for 4 km align south of GR-82. It became abandoned in the 1980s.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Epirus - West Greece - Central Greece
[edit] Antirio - Messolonghi - Agrinio - Amfilochia - Arta - Ioannina
Parts of the railway line were preserved as a monument. In the 1960s, the expense of the ferry and increase in the number of cars made most of the railway line close north of Agrinio. In the 1970s, the line ended in Messolonghi. That line was eliminated in the 1980s and the rail-ferry services were ended. The ferry services began in the 1960s.
[edit] Attica
[edit] Iraklio - Lavrio
The line used to run from south to north. It became abandoned in the mid-20th century, mainly due to protest by bus owners who saw their clientele shrinking.
Here were (some of) the stations that served that line:
- Glyka Nera railway station
- Paiania railway station
- Koropi railway station
- Markopoulo railway station
- Keratea railway station
- Lavrio railway station
On November 2006, plans to reopen the Lavrio line were announced, by extending the existing network of the OSE subsidiary, Proastiakos (the Athens Suburban Railway). According to the plan, the starting point of the 33km line will be the existing Proastiakos station at Koropi and the line will continue through Markopoulo, Kalyvia, Kouvaras, Keratea and come to an end at Lavrio, thus linking the city of Athens and the Athens Airport to the port of Lavrio.
[edit] Network and Stations
Although the Greek railway system is rudimentary, it includes what is possibly the longest metre-gauge railway system still in operation in Europe, the Peloponnese network. This is 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. The line runs from Athens to Corinth, where it divides into two, the two parts encircling the Northern Peloponnese.
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 Turkish border, from where the line continues to Istanbul. From Piraeus to Thessaloniki there is a distance of 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, shortly turning Northwards where it runs for the most part alongside the Evros River, marking the border between Greece and Turkey. At Ormenion it crosses into Turkey from whence it continues to Constantinople.
There is a 1 metre gauge line which originally ran from Volos to Kalambaka (Meteora), a distance of 162 km. When the line was fully open the journey took about 5 hours.
There are two other short independent narrow gauge lines: the partially restored 0.6 metre gauge line of 27 km, 22 currently in use, which climbs Mount Pelion from Volos to Milies, 420 metres above sea level, 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.
[edit] Headquarters
The headquarters of OSE are at 1-3 Karolou St., Athens 104 37, Greece.
[edit] Additional resources
- Greek Trainscapes - Handrino, Kakavas, Fotis
- Stations, Trains and Horizons - Yannis Skoulas
- Stations in History - Lefteris Papayanakis
[edit] External links
- Main Website (English version, including timetables)
