Strymon-Kulata railway
The Strymon-Kulata railway is a 17.5-kilometre-long (10.9 mi) railway line that connects the village of Strymon in Greece with Kulata in Bulgaria. The line unites three villages on opposite sides of the border, Strymon and Promachonas in Serres, Greece, and Kulata in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, and is entrance/exit to the Greek rail network from Bulgaria.[3]
| Strymon–Kulata railway | |
|---|---|
 | |
.jpg.webp) A class 220 Adtranz/Bombardier at Strymon in 2010 | |
| Overview | |
| Status | Non-Operational (Rail replacement bus service) |
| Owner | GAIAOSE[1] |
| Locale | Greece (Central Macedonia), Bulgaria (Blagoevgrad) |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 3 |
| Service | |
| System | Regional (cross border) |
| Operator(s) | TrainOSE |
| History | |
| Opened | |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 17.5 km (10.9 mi) |
| Number of tracks | single track[2] |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | No |
| Operating speed | 100 km/h (62 mph) (maximum) |
Infrastructure
the line consists of a single line of normal width (1,435mm) with a total length of 14.5 km, made of old superstructure materials (S33B rails and S33 metal sleepers). The line is marked, with a maximum speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) and a maximum axle load of 20.0tn. On the line of Strymon - Promachonas there are 2 tunnels and 5 bridges, while the transport of passengers through 2 Stations is served.[3]
Course
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The southern terminus of the Strymon–Kulata railway is Strymon on a spur from the Thessaloniki–Alexandroupoli line. At Strymon, the line connects with a northbound line along Strymon River Valley to Promachonas, The line consists of a railway of approximately 17.5-kilometre-long (10.9 mi), of which 16.1-kilometre-long (10.0 mi) are located within Greece, with the remaining 1.4-kilometre-long (0.87 mi) located in Bulgaria.The Line then joins with the Bulgarian network at Kulata. At Kulata the line extends to Sofia, via Bulgariavia.[3]
Main stations
The main stations on the Thessaloniki–Bitola railway are:
- Strymon railway station
- Promachonas railway station
- Kulata railway station
Services
The Strymon - Koulata Railway Line is an international Regional railway line between Greece and Bulgaria.
(Until further notice, this train is substituted for a 14-kilometre-long (8.7 mi) Rail Replacement Bus Service between Kulata on the Bulgarian side of the Greek border & Strymon on the Greek side is in operation, from where a train continues to Thessaloniki.)
See also
References
- "Home". gaiaose.com.
- "OSE - 2017 Network Statement Annexes". p. 5.
- Google Translate
- "TrainOSE - 2013 schedules" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-01-19.
Further reading
- Gounaris, Basil C. (1993). Steam over Macedonia, 1870-1912. East European Monographs. ISBN 978-0880332774.