Piraeus–Platy railway

The railway from Piraeus to Platy is an electrified double-track railway line that connects Athens to northern Greece and the rest of Europe. It constitutes the longest section of the mostly completed higher-speed rail line known as P.A.Th.E./P., which includes Greece's most important rail connection, that between Athens and Thessaloniki. Its northern end is the station of Platy, on the Thessaloniki–Bitola railway. In the south, it connects to the Athens Airport–Patras railway at the Acharnes Railway Center. The line passes through Thebes, Katerini and Larissa, and offers connections to several other cities (Chalcis, Lamia, Volos, Karditsa, Trikala) through branch lines.

Piraeus–Platy railway
(Part of the Athens–Thessaloniki railway corridor)
Section of the line near Mount Olympus in southern Pieria, Macedonia.
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerHellenic Railways Organisation
LocaleGreece (Attica, Central Greece,
Thessaly, Central Macedonia)
Termini
Stations42
Service
TypeHigh-speed rail/Commuter rail
ServicesIntercity, Athens Suburban Railway Athens Suburban Railway, Proastiakos
Operator(s)Hellenic Train
History
Opened(In stages) from 1908
Technical
Line length456.60 km (283.72 mi)[1]
Number of tracksDouble track
CharacterPrimary
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz AC[1][2][3]
Operating speed160 km/h (99 mph) (average)
200 km/h (124 mph) (highest)
Piraeus–Platy railway
km
0.7
Piraeus Athens MetroAthens Metro Line 1
1.9
Lefka
4.1
Rentis
7.7
Rouf
10.3
Athens
13.7
Agioi Anargyroi
15.8
Pyrgos Vasilissis
Kato Acharnes
19.2
Acharnes SKA
21.1
Acharnes
25.0
Dekeleia
33.5
Agios Stefanos
40.1
Afidnes
45.9
Polydendri
50.9
Sfendali
53.9
Charadra
59.2
Avlona
64.2
Agios Thomas
68.6
Oinofyta
71.4
Oinoi
75.3
Tanagra
85.0
Eleonas
92.9
Ypato
99.9
Thebes
119.4
Aliartos
128.3
Ypsilantis
131.6
Alalkomenes
140.2
Livadeia
147.7
Chaironeia
152.7
Davleia
158.4
Parori
161.1
Kifisos
164.6
Tithorea
173.1
Parnassos
181.2
Amfikleia
185.7
Lilaia
190.6
Molos
194.3
Bralos
201.0
Eleftherochori
204.9
Asopos
210.3
Trachis
212.6
Arpini
214.2
Gorgopotamos
219.0
Spercheios
222.5
Leianokladi
230.7
Lygaria
236.1
Stirfaka
247.0
Karya
257.4
Kallipefki
245.0
Agios Stefanos X.
250.6
(265.4)
Angeies
271.3
Thermes
274.8
Kyfaira
277.5
Xyniada
280.6
Acharres
284.2
(267.7)
Thavmakos
270.5
(287.9)
Domokos
295.0
Neo Monastiri
303.1
Palaiofarsalos
307.9
Ypereia
313.4
Orfana
321.9
Doxaras
328.8
Krannonas
341.7
Efyra
343.6
Mezourlos
345.4
Larissa
353.3
sugar factory
360.7
Gyrtoni
369.0
Evangelismos
378.8
Tempi
384.0
Agia Paraskevi
387.4
Rapsani
398.9
Neoi Poroi
401.8
Platamon
410.7
Leptokarya
415.4
Plaka
418.6
Litochoro
434.9
Katerini
441.6
Korinos
464.0
Aiginio
482.6
Platy

Course

The southern terminus of the Piraeus–Platy railway is at the harbour of Piraeus, where connections with ferries to several Greek islands exist. From Piraeus station, the line runs northeast towards the centre of Athens, where it crosses the main Athens railway station, commonly known as Larissa station. Continuing through the northern suburbs of Athens, the line runs to Agioi Anargyroi, where the old Peloponnese line branched off westwards. The metre-gauge track is still in place from this point on.

At Acharnes Railway Center (SKA), the main line connects with the Athens Airport–Patras railway, carrying Athens Suburban Railway services from Piraeus to Athens Airport and to Kiato and Aigio in the Peloponnese. The main line continues northwards and climbs steadily towards Oinoi, through rural and wooded countryside typical of northern Attica. There is a 21.69 km (13.48 mi) branch line from Oinoi to Chalcis.[1]

The works on the new double-track railway from Leianokladi to Domokos was completed in January 2019, while the railway electrification system was completed in April 2019.[4][5] With the completion of the rebuilt Tithorea–Leianokladi–Domokos section, the Athens–Thessaloniki line is doubled and electrified along its entire length.[2][3] The old single-track railway was noted for its spectacular mountain scenery between Bralos and Domokos.

There is a 22.61 km (14.05 mi) branch line from Leianokladi passing through Lamia to Stylida.[1] At Palaiofarsalos, an 80.44 km (49.98 mi) line to Karditsa, Trikala and Kalambaka branches off (former Thessaly Railways).[1] There is also a metre-gauge railway to Velestino, which is no longer used commercially. At the Thessalian capital Larissa, there is a 60.76 km (37.75 mi) branch line to Volos.[1] North of Larissa, the line passes through a tunnel at Tempe. The picturesque line adjacent to the coast near Platamon at the northern end of Tempe to Katerini is now abandoned, though still visible. This section of the line provided passengers with unique views towards the mountains and sea as the train travelled along the eastern slopes of Mount Olympus to Katerini.

Platy, Imathia is the point where the nation's two largest cities were first linked by rail in 1916. Trains between the two commenced operations in 1918, with the first through train service from Athens to Paris linking up with the Orient Express, which was inaugurated in 1920. At Platy, the line from Piraeus connects with the line from Thessaloniki to Kozani (including the branch line to Amyntaio) and Florina.

Larissa and Thessaloniki have substantial marshalling yards for both goods and passenger trains. Journey time between Athens and Thessaloniki can vary depending on the type of train selected. Before the Tempi train crash, the regular InterCity service took 4 hours and 13 minutes, while the Express took 3 hours and 59 minutes. Following the implementation of lower operating speeds and other safety measures, the journey times have increased to 7 hours and 17 minutes and 5 hours and 18 minutes respectively.[6]

Stations

The main stations on the Piraeus–Platy railway are:

Some other stations of the line are Oinoi, Thebes, Livadeia, Tithorea, Leianokladi, Angeies and Domokos.

History

Although a railway line from Athens to the north had been planned since 1883, the first section from Athens to Demerli (current Palaiofarsalos railway station) was not opened until 1908. The two branch lines from Oinoi to Chalcis and from Lamia to Stylida were also opened in 1908. Subsequently, the line was extended towards the former Greek–Turkish border at Papapouli, between Larissa and Katerini. Finally, in May 1916, the remaining section from Papapouli to Platy on the line from Thessaloniki to Monastir (Bitola) was opened.[7]

Major upgrades to the line had been planned since the late 1980s. The first upgrade was completed west of Oinoi in the early 1990s. In 1996, the Orfana bypass was opened. On 28 November 2003, the Vale of Tempe line was abandoned in favour of a tunnel, and in 2004 the Tempe–Platamon–Katerini–Platy section was drastically shortened, leading to the abandonment of the picturesque route along the Aegean coast at Platamon. Between 2005 and 2010 several sections were upgraded in order to allow for higher speeds, notably the Oinoi–Tithorea, Domokos–Larissa, Evangelismos–Leptokarya and Aiginio–Thessaloniki sections.[8][9] The Tithorea–Domokos section was reconstructed on a partly altered route, shortening it from 121.60 km (75.56 mi) to 107.33 km (66.69 mi) in order to sustain high-speed railway requirements.[1] It includes two tunnels—the 9.3 km (5.8 mi) Kallidromo Tunnel, which is the longest in the Balkans, and the 7 km (4.3 mi) Othrys Tunnel.[10] Another upgrade is the reparation of the damaged electrification system of the section between Acharnes and Tithorea.[3]

An accident occurred near Tempi on February 28, 2023. It is Greece's worst railway disaster. The station master in Larissa was arrested in connection to the accident.[11]

Services

The Piraeus–Platy railway is used by the following passenger services:

  • Intercity, Express and Regular services Athens–Thessaloniki, Athens–Kalampaka, Athens–Leianokladi and Thessaloniki–Kalampaka[12]
  • Proastiakos services Athens–Chalcis[13] and Thessaloniki–Larissa[12]

References

  1. "Network Statement Validity: 2020 ANNEXES". Athens: OSE. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  2. "Electrification of 3 Gefires – Piraeus". ERGOSE. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  3. "Electrification of the Athens-Thessaloniki line". ERGOSE. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  4. "ΔΕΛΤΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ – ΟΛΟΚΛΗΡΩΘΗΚΕ Η ΓΡΑΜΜΗ ΑΘΗΝΑ- ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗ" (in Greek). ERGOSE. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  5. "Υπό τάση η ηλεκτροκίνηση στο τμήμα Λιανοκλάδι – Δομοκός από την Μ. Δευτέρα". metaforespress.gr (in Greek). 19 April 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  6. "HELLENIC TRAIN ticketing". Athens: Hellenic Train. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  7. Le Journal des Transports, 24 March 1917, p. 63-65, accessed in Gallica 16 August 2013 (in French)
  8. "Upgrading Of Existing Railway Line Inoi – Larissa – Plati – Thessaloniki". Archived from the original on 2014-07-15.
  9. "New Double-Track Railway Line Evangelismos – Leptokaria". Archived from the original on 2014-07-15.
  10. "New Double-Track Railway Line Tithorea–Lianokladi–Domokos". Archived from the original on 2014-06-06.
  11. "Greece train crash: Police arrest railroad station master – DW – 03/01/2023". dw.com. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  12. "TrainOSE - 2012 schedules" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-05-11.
  13. "TrainOSE - 2013 Piraeus-Chalcis schedule" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-02.
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