History of Train & Rail Travel in Greece Page 2 (see Greece train map)

The Ottomans had been building its own railways from 1872 onward, which were intended to supplement Austro-Hungarian rails that connected Vienna with Istanbul (via Belgrade and Sofia). After the First Balkan War of 1912, the Greek system finally completed the link from Larissa to Platy, this in 1916. With these last 89km of rail, The Greek railway reached the Ottoman-built Macedonian system and enabled Greece to join Europe's international railway grid. Other lines were thwarted, however, which would have extended the system westward from Kozani in western Macedonia towards Albania, even though surveys had been carried out and some tunnels and bridges built. Except for a few extensions of the system, no major work was done on Greece's railway system until the 1970s, though the Larissa station was built in 1962, and the huge Thessaloniki station in 1967. There was also the rail extension from Strimon to Bulgaria in 1966.

World War II saw the destruction of Greek industry, economy in general, and of the railway system (to leave out much else that was destroyed during those dark years). After the Greek Civil War (1946-9), American-directed highway building in the late 1950s , and though there was rebuilding of the rail system as well, the emphasis was on automobiles. Whereas 50% of the passengers in Greece in 1950 travelled by train, the percentage had dropped to 4% by 1967.

The year of 1971 brought both the conversion to diesel fuel for the trains, and consolidation of the Greek railways into OSE. With consolidation came the closing of many branch railway lines throughout the country, as well as a reduction in frequency of trains. Many believe that this was a deliberate attempt to shut down the country's railways for good. Greece's entry into the European Economic Community (which later became the EU) in 1981, brought revival , however, with Greek cooperation in the Community of European Railways (mostly a north European association). Later came the EU Delors II program, and long range planning, aided by investment, brought increased rejuvenation to the Greek railways, with closed lines reopened in the Peloponnese (Isthmia to Loutraki and from Argos to Nafplio), as well as better schedules between Athens and Thessaloniki.Promotion of railways and railway travel in Greece has also been boosted by an Athens-based (but widely supported) consumers' group founded in 1983-the Hellenic Association of Railway Friends. By the mid 1990s a railway revival was in full swing, featuring vast improvements in infrastructure and in mechanical features, refurbished railway stations, and the best of both the modern and the classic in train types. The most outstanding modern achievement has been the fastest Athens-Thessaloniki train ever, with, by 1996, a journey of just under six hours for this 510km/316mile route, much of it through rugged mountain terrain, which travel time has now dropped to 3 ½ hours.

Greek Train History Page 1 | 2

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