Organismos Sidirodromon Ellados

The Organismos Sidirodromon Ellados (ΟΣΕ, Οργανισμός Σιδηροδρόμων Ελλάδος, Greek for Hellenic Railways Organisation) is Greece's railway company and runs freight and passenger trains. The network runs in the Peloponnese, mainland Greece, and several lines in Macedonia and Thrace. Crete, Euboea, the Ionian Islands, the southern and the northern Aegean do not have railways, nor do the prefectures of Laconia, Eurytania, Epirus, Grevena, Kastoria, and Aitolia-Acarnania.

The headquarters of OSE is at 1–3 Karolou Street, Athens 104 37 Greece

Existing lines

SPAP, Athens – Corinth – Patras

The railway is divided into divisions including:

The SPAP: The Piraeus-Athens-Peloponnese Railway begins in Piraeus with a freight yard that carried goods to other parts of the world. It runs north of Piraeus along Piraeus Street and for 6 km runs along Konstantinopouleos Avenue. This route shares the line with the one heading for northern Greece. For the entire shared route, it runs north of the Aegaleo mountains where NATO Avenue is situated and runs into Eleusis and passes into the mountains and onto the Megara plain. After 9 km it runs into Kakia Skala running between the old and new highways. Later, it runs into the plain and runs into the Corinth Refinery aligning between the old and the new roads. The train runs through the underpass of the superhighway and runs throughout into the northern side and over the Corinth Canal and into Corinth next to the Gulf of Corinth. The route of the Corinth – Argos – Tripoli – Megalopoli – Kalamata line begins to the left. The track runs onto the plain on the south side of the old highway, it later runs in the north side and the south side again after the railway crossing. The track runs between the old and the new highways again for the rest of the stretch up to Derveni. For 2 km, the track is under the half-underpass of the toll superhighway. The track runs to the north west of Diakopto and runs next to the gulf again north of downtown Aigio and next to the road up to the West Aigio Interchange. The line runs north of the old and the new highways for the rest of the length with some exceptions near Agios Vasileios. The line ends north of Patras.

List of stations of the Athens – Corinth – Patras route:

• Piraeus train station
• Athens train station
• Eleusis train station
• Neos Peramos train station
• Megara train station
• Kakia Skala
• Kineta train station
• Agioi Theodoroi train station
• Kalamaki train station
• Corinth train station – with a station and a freight yard situated in the east
• Velo train station
• Lechaio train station
• Kiato train station
• Xylokastro train station
• Derveni train station
• Diakopto train station
• track with the preserved line to Kalavryta
• Aigeira train station
• Aigio train station
• Kamares train station
• Rio train station, with freight yards
• Patras train station – The Patras train station is situated near Othonos-Amalias Avenue next to the square, the pathway to the port and the port. An old 1900s locomotive lies to the east and the freight yard is to the northeast next to Norman Street.

SPAP, Patras – Lechaina – Pyrgos – Olympia

The line of Patras – Kato Achaia – Lechaina – Amaliada – Pyrgos – Olympia is about 150 km long and runs into the prefectures of Achaia and Ilia. The train runs east of Akti Dymaion and runs by the Gulf of Patras. The track runs in the middle of the old and the new highways until it reaches Kato Achaia and runs in the bottom of the ravine and runs as far as 4 km away from GR-9/E55 until it reaches Lappa. The route afterwards runs north of the portion of the forest and passes into Nea Manolada as its next stop. The track runs west of the highway as it passes near the hills until it reaches Lechaina. The track used to have a connection with the Kavasila – Kyllini/Loutra Kyllinis line. The track runs direstly SW to Kardamas and then into Douneika and away from the hills before reaching Pyrgos. The track bypasses Pyrgos to the north and the routes diverge for Kyparissia and Kalamata. The track runs into the hills and into the last stations of Varvasena and Olympia.

List of stations on the Lechaina – Pyrgos – Olympia line:

• Roitika train station
• Vrachneika train station
• Kaminia train station
• Kato Achaia train station, located in the east
• Lappa train station
• Neo Manolada train station, no building
• Varda train station
• Kourtesi train station
• Areti train station, no building
• Lechaina, train station, west side with a freight yard
• Andravida train station, east side
• Kavasila train station and freight yard, west side
• Gastouni train station
• Amaliada train station and freight yard
• Douneika train station
• Pyrgos train station – situated in the south side north of the heart of Pyrgos. The station is within the old road for Tripoli and Olympia and east of the old Patras – Pyrgos highway. It sits in a greenspace location with trees aligned. The station is in the middle.
• Varvasena train station
• Olympia train station with a freight yard, last station.

SPAP, 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.

List of stations of the Pyrgos – Zacharo – Kyparissia line:

• Epitalio train station
• Kaiafa Springs train station
• Zacharo train station
• Neochori train station
• Tholo train station
• junction with the Kyparissia – Oichalia line
• Kyparissia train station

SPAP, Corinth – Argos – Tripoli – Kalamata

The line begins at the line of Athens – Corinth – Patras 1 km SW of downtown Corinth. The line passes into Argos, Tripoli, Megalopoli with a separate line and a branch to a line of Pyrgos – Kyparissia and Kalamata with a freight yard and soem abandoned lines to the Port of Kalamata.

Train stations of the Corinth – Argos – Tripoli – Kalamata line:

• Argos train station
• Myloi train station
• Tripoli train station
• Routsi train station
  • branch with another line, length: 4 km, direction, S to N, railway crossings: 1
  • Megalopoli train station in the west and a freight yard in the middle and north.
  • Kalamata train station, with a train station and a freight yard.

Somewhere in 2000 and 2003, there have been a train accident including one at the 186th km of this line.

Athens – Lamia – Thessaloniki

The line runs with the track for 15 km with the SPAP line in the west. The track later runs in the northeastern part of Attica aligning with GR-1/E75 with mountains, it later runs on flat land from Avlona up to north of Licadeia before running into another mountains up to south of Lamia. There is a gap for flat land while reaching to Lamia. It runs into the mountains and near Domokos and Farsala within the valley. After, the track runs into the plain of Thessaly and runs into Larissa. The track runs into the Tempe valley and throuth the western shores of the Thermian Gulf which is part of the Aegean Sea.

Stations:

• Ano Liosio Train station
• Dekeleia train station
• Afidna train station
• Avlona train station
• Schimatari train station
• Thiva train station
• Lamia train station
• Domokos train station
• joint with the Trikala – Karditsa – Velestino line
• Larissa train station
• Litochori train station
• Katerini train station
• joint with the line to Edessa – Florina – Niki line
• jount with the line to Efzoni
• joint with the Kilkis – northern Serres line
• Thessaloniki train station, located in the west.

Trikala – Karditsa – Velestino

The line until the mid-20th century used to serve up to Ioannina.

Stations:

• Velestino train station
• joint with the Athens – Lamia – Larissa – Thessaloniki line
• Karditsa train station
• Trikala train station

External link: The Pilion Railway played a big role in the economic development of the Pelion region

Florina – Edessa – Naoussa – Veria – Thessaloniki

This line begins west of Florina and runs in the southern part of Lake Vegolitida for 10 km south and runs north of GR-2 (Thessaloniki – Edessa – Florina), the rail runs into the plain and into Naoussa and then near Veria. The rail passes within the Aliakmon river and enters near Alexandria and connects with the Athens – Thessaloniki rail near the prefecture of Thessaloniki.

Stations:

• Edessa train station
• Naoussa train station
• Veria train station
• Alexandria train station

Abandoned lines

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.

• Kavasila – Vartholomio – Kyllini including a branch to the Thermal Springs of Kyllini were 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.

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.

Glyka Nera – Keratea

The line used to ran from south to north. It became abandoned in the mid-20th century.

Here were the stations that served that line:

• Glyka Nera railway station
• Paiania railway station
• Koropi railway station
• Markopoulo railway station
• Keratea railway station

Pelion Railway Line

The railway line ran with the Trikala – Karditsa – Velestino line. The line ran in the northern part of the Pagasetic Gulf and ends into the Pelion mountains. The railway was first opened in 1906 and was constructed by Ernesto de Chirico. The Pelion railway played a big role in the economic develpment of the Pelion region. The railway became abandoned in the 1970s. It is now preserved and is a monumental railway and the trains are in a museum. Here were the stations that served this line:

• Ano Lechonia railway station
• Volos railway station
• Agria railway station
• Milies railway station

Ownership

OSE is the sole ownership of the Athens' suburban high-speed or electric railway Proastiakos.

External links

• Main Website (in Greek).
• Main Website (English version) (including timetables)
• Railway Operators in Greece
• http://flagspot.net/flags/gr$ose.html
• http://www.mfa.gr/english/greece/today/transportation/railways.html