The Hellenic Railways Organisation or OSE is the Greek national railway company which owns, maintains and operates all railway infrastructure in Greece with the exception of Athens' rapid transit lines. Train services on these lines are run by Hellenic Train S.A., a former OSE subsidiary, Rail Cargo Logistics Goldair, Pearl and Grup Feroviar Român.
Hellenic State Railways or SEK was a Greek public sector entity which was established in 1920 and operated most Greek railway lines until 1970.
The Diakopto–Kalavryta railway is a historic 750 mm gauge rack railway in Greece. Located on the northern Peloponnese, it runs 22 kilometres (14 mi) from Diakopto through the Vouraikos Gorge and the old Mega Spilaion Monastery and up to Kalavryta, stopping en route at Zachlorou. Today, the infrastructure and rolling stock are owned and maintained by the Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE) and passenger trains are operated by Hellenic Train. At the Diakopto terminus, the line connects with the new standard-gauge Athens Airport–Patras railway; as of 2019 the new track is in place in a cutting through the station yard.
Rail transport in Greece has a history which began in 1869, with the completion of the then Athens & Piraeus Railway. From the 1880s to the 1920s, the majority of the network was built, reaching its heyday in 1940. From the 1950s onward, the railway system entered a period of decline, culminating in the service cuts of 2011. Ever since the 1990s, the network has been steadily modernized, but still remains smaller than its peak length. The operation of the Greek railway network is split between the Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE), which owns and maintains the rail infrastructure; GAIAOSE, which owns the building infrastructure and the former OSE rolling stock, Hellenic Train; and other private companies that run the trains on the network. Greece is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Greece is 73.
Thessaly Railways was a railway company in Greece, which owned and operated the metre gauge railway network of Thessaly and Pelion railway from 1884 to 1955, when the company was absorbed by the Hellenic State Railways. Today the term usually refers to the section of mainline between Domokos and Rapsani and its two branches, the West Thessaly branch to Kalambaka and the Volos branch.
The Thessaloniki–Alexandroupoli railway is an about 440 km long railway in northern Greece connecting the Central Macedonian city of Thessaloniki with Alexandroupoli in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, via Serres. There is a connection towards Sofia at the Strymonas station. This railway was built in 1896 by The Compagnie du Chemin de Fer Ottoman Jonction Salonique-Constantinople (JSC).
Hellenic Train S.A., formerly TrainOSE S.A., is a private railway company in Greece which operates passenger and freight trains on OSE lines. Hellenic Train employs train crews, operators and manages the most of rail services throughout the Greek railway network, leasing rolling stock owned by GAIOSE except for ETR 470 trains.
The Thessaloniki railway station, or Thessaloniki railway station is the main central passenger railway station and terminal of Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city. It is located in the central quarter of Xirokrini on Monastiriou Street and was inaugurated on 12 June 1961, the passenger station replaced the older and much smaller passenger station which now handles the city's cargo rail, hence the "new" sometimes used in the name.
Athens railway station is the main railway station of Athens, and the second largest station in Greece. Located in the central quarter of Kolonos, the railway station resulted from the merger of two separate railway terminals in 2005—Larissa station of the Piraeus–Platy railway towards central and northern Greece, and the Peloponnese station of the Piraeus–Patras railway that formerly linked Athens with the Peloponnese.
The railway from Thessaloniki to Bitola is a 219 kilometres (136 mi) long railway line, that connects the port city Thessaloniki in Greece with Bitola in the Republic of North Macedonia, via Veroia, Edessa, Amyntaio and Florina. The line was opened in 1894 under the name "Société du Chemin de Fer ottoman Salonique-Monastir", when the area was part of the Ottoman Empire. The section between the international border and Bitola is not used anymore, and as of 2013 passenger services are restricted to the section between Thessaloniki and Florina. The easternmost section of the line, Platy–Thessaloniki, is part of the important connection towards Athens and Northern Greece.
Larissa railway station is the main station for Larissa in Thessaly, Greece. Located in a residential area, close to the city centre, it is served by InterCity trains between Athens and Thessaloniki, Express services to Kalambaka, Regional services to Volos and the southern terminus for Line 1 of Proastiakos services to Thessaloniki. Larissa railway station should not be confused with Larissa Station in Athens.
Kalambaka railway station is the main railway station in Kalabaka, in the Trikala regional unit, Thessaly. Opened on 16 June 1886 by the Thessaly Railways as its first terminal station. Today Hellenic Train operates Regional Express services to destinations across Greece. It is currently the most northwesterly part of the Greek railway network in operation.
Katerini railway station is a railway station in Katerini, Central Macedonia, Greece. Located in a residential area close to the city centre, it opened on 2 September 1916. It is served by trains between Athens and Thessaloniki, and since 9 September 2007, it has been served by the Suburban railway for Thessaloniki, Litochoro and Larissa.
Volos railway station is a railway station in Volos, Greece. located within the city itself. Opened on 22 April 1884 by the Thessaly Railways. Today Hellenic Train operates three daily local trains to Larissa. Previously Thessaly Railways operated a narrow gauge service to Mileai from Volos, however this service now starts and terminates from Ano Lechonia.
The OSE class A.201, also known as the Διακοσαράκι or Πλούτο (Pluto), after the well known cartoon, due to the generally not accepted aesthetic result of the reconstruction completed in 2010, is, along with the class A.101, the oldest locomotive operated by TRAINOSE. They were built in 1962 by Alco for SEK and were put into operation at OSE in 1971, when it was founded. It is the first diesel loco in regular use in Greece while at the same time they are the first diesel locomotive of the network and a leader of the ALCo family in Greece. Their advent was marked by the great progress towards changing the railway and the gradual abolition of the steam locomotives. It looks much like the A.321 and A.9101 classes.
Komotini railway station is a railway station that servers the city of Komotini, in Rhodope in East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. The station is located 3 km southeast of the city centre but within city limits. The station is staffed, but only at peak times, but has waiting rooms and a bus stop in the forecourt.
Drama railway station is a railway station that serves the Northern Greek City of Drama, in Drama in East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. The station is located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of the settlement but still within the settlement limits. The neoclassical station building is unstaffed.
The Velestino–Kalambaka railway is a was an unelectrified Metre-gauge single-track railway regional railway line that connected Velestino in Central Greece, with Kalampaka.
Bralos railway station is a railway station in Bralos, Greece. The station opened on 8 March 1904., along with the rest of the line. It is served by Regional trains to Athens and Leianokladi.
Nikiforos railway station is a railway station that serves the Northern Greek village of Nikiforos, in Drama in East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. The station is located within the settlement limits. The neoclassical station building is unstaffed and in a rundown state. The station building and some of its auxiliary buildings have been classified as monuments.
