Greece - General Information

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Country Name

Greece (Hellas)

National Railway System

All railway infrastructure in Greece is owned and maintained by OSE (Organismos Sidirodromon Ellados, or Ο.Σ.Ε., Οργανισμός Σιδηροδρόμων Ελλάδος).

National Railway Operator

Train services are operated by Trainose/ΤραινΟΣΕ. Suburban traffic in Attika (Piraeus - Athens - SKA - Halkida and Athens Airport - SKA - Kiato) and Makedonia (Thessaloniki – Domokos) is operated under the brand name Proastiakos (Suburban Railway).

Trainose was transferred to the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund in 2013 in preparation for privatisation and a sale to Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane which completed on 14 September 2017.

Official Website

Trainose / ΤραινΟΣΕ

Language

Greek. Greek script is quite different from Roman and there is no standard system of transcription. In many of the places served by the railway system, away from the main tourist areas, only Greek is spoken.

Currency

Euro

UIC code

numeric 73; alpha GR

Timetable

Journey Planner

Journey planner in English

Downloadable Timetable

PDF files are available as links, or directly, from the following pages:-

Printed Timetable

None.

Engineering Information

The main TrainOSE webpage, under Latest News, often gives details of engineering work but the information is only in Greek.

Maps

Printed Maps

  • European Railway Atlas: The Balkans by M.G. Ball (2015) (ISBN 9-780993-245732)
  • European Railway Atlas by M.G. Ball (2008 onwards)
  • Quail Map Co published a railway map of Greece with extensive supplementary information, but this is currently out of print. (ISBN 1 898319 48X)

Web-based Maps

Ticketing

OSE and Proastiakos have entirely separate ticketing.

Trains can be very crowded so reservations are desirable and sometimes essential. Reserved seats are not marked as such.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure Authority

OSE (Organismos Sidirodromon Ellados) / Ο.Σ.Ε. (Οργανισμός Σιδηροδρόμων Ελλάδος) determines the overall strategy and manages railway infrastructure.

ERGOSE SA manages most railway modernisation projects.

Network Statement

Network Statements for various years.

Gauge

Standard. The Peloponnese lines from Piraeus to Patra, Olympia and Kalamata etc were formerly entirely metre gauge. The metre gauge route from Piraeus via Athens to Korinthos, Kiato and Patra has been closed; it has been replaced by a standard gauge route as far as Kiato, construction work on the standard gauge continuation from Kiato to Patra has started but is significantly delayed. The rack line from Diakopto to Kalavryta is 750 mm gauge.

Electrification

25 kV 50 Hz.

Rule of the road

Right.

Distances

The Network Statement Annexes above (file 2 of 2) give distances for each station; see ANNEX Ι-Α: Infrastructure Data.

Other Railways

None.

Tourist Lines

  • Diakopto – Kalavryta (22 km long, part rack-fitted) (750 mm gauge)
  • Pelion Railway Ano Lehonia to Milies (600 mm gauge)
  • Attica Museum Railway: Keratea to Kalivia (extension to Markopoulo under construction) (metre gauge)
  • Volos – Palaeofarsalos (metre gauge). A 10 km section between Velestino and Aerino was operated by the Thessaly Museum Railway but their website has been deleted, suggesting there is no longer any service. The rest of the line is already out of use. There is a railway museum at Volos station.
  • Tempi valley railway: former main line (replaced by a new double track line) along the Tempi river, operated by motor draisines, with no scheduled timetable

Metro

Athens

Trams

Athens

Recent and future changes

Future Changes

The new line between Leianokladi and Domokos on the Athens – Thessaloniki main line, including the 6380 m twin-bore Othris tunnel, is due to open in the spring of 2019.

The Patras suburban service was to be extended 30 km westwards to Kato Achaia by summer 2017. This had not happened as at April 2018 but it is reported that locomotives are about to be shipped to Patras to operate this service.

There have been plans to revive parts of the Peloponnese narrow gauge network if proven viable, by means of joint ventures involving OSE, local authorities and businesses. However, a significant landslide has rendered the section between Zevgolatia and Korinthos unusable as all operable stock is to the west of Zevgolatia.

Train Service Changes in 2018

The new Tithorea – Lianokladi line opened, much delayed, to freight on 2 February, with diesel traction. Following completion of electrification, passenger services started using the line from an unknown date in April. It is not known when all services over the old line ceased. However, after pressure from local authorities, a service was reinstated over the old line from 17 July.

The Patras suburban service section between Rio and Agios Vasileios was bustituted from 15 May for conversion to standard gauge.

From 7 March the line between Dikaia and Ormenio, on the Greek side of the Bulgarian border, was reopened to passengers.

Train Service Changes in 2017

From 30 July 2017 the Athens area suburban services were recast: the Airport to Kiato service was diverted into Athina (thus opening the SKA south to east curve to traffic) and split into two separate services. Alternate services from the Airport now run to the SKA low level platforms and terminate there. This has resulted in the withdrawal of services between the SKA low level platforms and the junction with the south to west curve.

A through Athina - Kiato service providing the first passenger service over the SKA south to west curve was introduced from an unknown date. This may have coincided with the changes above. Any information would be appreciated by the Compilers.

Since 25 May 2017 passengers on the service between Thessaloniki and Sofia have been taken by bus between Kulata and Strimon.

Train Service Changes in 2015

With effect from 21 August 2015 trains to and from Macedonia were withdrawn south of Gevgelija, owing to issues with migrants, and no longer entered Greece.

Train Service Changes in 2014

The daily Beograd - Skopje - Thessaloniki summer overnight and Thessaloniki - Sofia daytime services resumed on 10 May 2014.

From 31 March 2014, passenger services started running between Athens and Ano Liosia via a curve bypassing SKA (Acharnes Railway Center).

Train Service Changes in 2012

The Thessaloniki - Edessa - Aminteo - Florina line reopened on 14 October 2012.

A weekly summer-only service was reintroduced between Thessaloniki and Skopje (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) reportedly from 14 July 2012 to 30 September 2012.

Train Service Changes in 2011

All international services from Greece were discontinued from 13 February 2011. Since resumed, see above

The very bad financial situation in Greece caught up with OSE in December 2010. The following lines were closed to all traffic on 1 January 2011, although a few had already ceased operating by then:

  • Patra - Kalamata
  • Pyrgos - Olympia (since re-opened)
  • Pyrgos - Katakolo (since re-opened)
  • Isthmos - Loutraki (had already ceased)
  • Diakopto - Kalavryta (was operating only irregularly but has since re-opened)
  • Kalonero - Kyparissia
  • Korinthos - Kalamata (was not operating between Tripoli and Zevgolatio)
  • Argos - Nafplio
  • Patra - Rio suburban service (since re-opened)
  • Kalamata - Zevgolatio suburban service
  • Thessaloniki - Edessa - Aminteo - Florina (since re-opened)
  • Aminteo - Kozani
  • Serres - Alexandroupolis - Pithio - Dikaia (since re-opened); trains from Ormenio to Bulgaria had already ceased.
  • Thessaloniki - Idomeni (with the cross border international services ceasing on 13 February 2011)
  • Strimon - Kulata (service ceased from 13 February 2011)
  • Larissa - Volos (local trains) (since re-opened)
  • Palaeofarsalos - Kalambaka (local trains) (since re-opened)

Train Service Changes in 2009

The one train each way between Dikaia and Svilengrad (Bulgaria) was withdrawn in August 2009.

Other Train Service Changes

Train services were withdrawn between Messonissia and Kremenica (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) from an unknown date (but prior to 2004) due to tensions between Greece and FYROM. However the section in Greece between Messonissia and Neos Kafkasos had been rebuilt by 2014, and reconstruction onwards to Bitola started in 2018. It is not known what services are planned when reconstruction is completed.

Infrastructure Changes

There are various infrastructure improvements planned or in progress but completion dates for those underway have been missed by months, no doubt the Countries financial situation and protracted sale of OSE to FS not helping. This list is not thought to be complete and any updates would be appreciated by the Compilers

  • Electrification of the Larisa - Volos and Palaiofarsalos - Kalampaka branches. Tenders may have been issued for this project.
  • Kiato to Patras to reopen converted to standard gauge by 2020 with many realignments from the previous narrow gauge route, with electrification initially to Rododafni.
  • It is planned to put the 3.2 km northern exit from Athina main station underground and quadruple the line.

On 28 February 2018 ERGOSE issued an invitation to tender for upgrading and electrification of the metre gauge Isthmos - Loutraki line. On 8 January 2018 ERGOSE issued an invitation to tender for electrification of the Kiato - Rododafni (- Patras) line.

The main line from Athens to Thessaloniki is in the course of extensive reconstruction, including doubling, realignment and electrification. This work has been under way for many years. Electrification is now complete from Thessaloniki to Domokos in the north and as at March 2017, from Tithorea into Athina station and on the Chalkida branch.

A replacement route of approximately 21km is under construction between Polykastro and Idomeni which will eliminate an old river bridge and lengthy riverside section. Completion is expected in 2019.

Other recent electrification includes the line to Athens Airport. An extension is planned from Koropi towards Lavrio. The airport line joins Metro Line 3 at Plakentias so Metro units change there from third rail DC to 25 kV AC overhead for the journey to the airport.

Athens - Patras is supposed to be rebuilt as a standard gauge line. Contracts were signed in September 2014 for construction of the Kiáto - Rododáfni section. A new metre gauge curve has been built to connect the new Korinthos station to the old station and the line to Tripoli. The branch to Loutraki has closed and it is not certain if it will be converted to standard gauge.

The former metre gauge line between Palaeofarsalos and Kalambaka was converted to standard gauge in 2001. The metre gauge Palaeofarsalos - Volos line was closed to regular traffic on 19 June 1998. There were expectations of use by special trains, but there were very few and the line is now probably unusable.

Special Notes

Station names are usually shown in Roman script as well as in Greek, but spellings can vary considerably from what may appear in timetables, maps or guide books.

See also