Orestiada railway station (Greek: Σιδηροδρομικός Σταθμός Ορεστιάδας, romanized: Sidirodromikos Stathmos Orestiádas), is a railway station that serves the town of Orestiada, in Evros, in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Located 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) from the centre of Orestiada, on the eastern edge of the town.[3] The station was open by OSE in 1996, at a cost of €4.5 million. Today TrainOSE operates just 4 daily Regional trains[4] to Alexandroupoli. The station is unstaffed[5] however there are waiting rooms available.
Ορεστιάδα Orestiada | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Orestiada railway station buildings, July 2017 | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Orestiada 682 00 Evros Greece | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°30′11″N 26°32′14″E / 41.5030°N 26.5372°E | ||||||||||
| Owned by | GAIAOSE[1] | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Alexandroupoli–Svilengrad railway[2] | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 3 | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 4 | ||||||||||
| Train operators | Hellenic Train | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | at-grade | ||||||||||
| Platform levels | 1 | ||||||||||
| Accessible |     | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Status | Unstaffed | ||||||||||
| Website | http://www.ose.gr/en/ | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 16 September 1996 | ||||||||||
| Electrified | No[2] | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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History
editThe station was built the mid-1990s to replace an older station (built in 1928) and was officially inaugurated on 16 September 1996.[3] At the time, the line saw a large amount of commercial and passenger traffic and was the fourth busiest and third largest[6] station in Northern Greece. In 2009, with the Greek debt crisis unfolding OSE's Management was forced to reduce services across the network. Timetables were cut back, and routes closed as the government-run entity attempted to reduce overheads. Services from Orestiada to Alexandroupoli were cut back to three trains a day, reducing the reliability of services and passenger numbers. With passenger footfall in sharp decline, the station building was closed and mothballed less than 15 years after it first opened. On 11 February 2011, all cross-border routes were closed and international services (to Istanbul, Sofia, etc.) were ended.
With usage down, the station suffered repeated attacks from vandalism, with the station clock and the Greek flag stolen, and the walls covered in graffiti. The canopies became shelters for immigrants entering from Turkey,[7] the overpass filled syringes, even some broken windows and benches. However, the main building was left secured.[8] In 2014, the station building was refurbished and reopened after being closed for 3 years.[9][10]
Following the Tempi crash, Hellenic Train announced rail replacement bus's[11] on certain routes across the Greek rail network, starting Wednesday 15th March 2023.[12]
Facilities
editNow the station is unstaffed and the waiting rooms are closed.[10] The entrance is equipped with wheelchair ramps and parking in the forecourt.
Services
editAs of 2020[update], the station is only served by one daily pair of regional trains, Alexandroupoli–Ormenio.[10]
As of October 2024[update] all services are run as a rail-replacement bus service.
References
edit- ^ "Home". gaiaose.com.
- ^ a b "Annexes". Network Statement (PDF) (2023 ed.). Athens: Hellenic Railways Organization. 17 January 2023. p. 5-6. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b "Σιδηροδρομικά Νέα: Ρημάζει ο σταθμός της Νέας Ορεστιάδας".
- ^ "Δρομολόγια ΤΡΑΙΝΟΣΕ".
- ^ https://www.evros-news.gr/2017/05/12/πύθιο-παρατημένος-καταστρέφεται-ο-πρ/
- ^ "Google Translate".
- ^ "Google Translate".
- ^ "Google Translate".
- ^ "Google Translate".
- ^ a b c Myrtsidis, Diamantis (2021). Η Ιστορία του Σιδηροδρόμου στον Έβρο (The History of Evros Railway) (in greek). Nea Vyssa: Myrtsidis. pp. 216–222. ISBN 978-618-00-3174-4.
- ^ GTP editing team. "Hellenic Train Services Replaced by Bus Routes". GTP. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ athens24, athens24 (14 March 2023). "Hellenic Train announces bus routes instead of trains | Athens24.com". www.athens24.com. athens24.com. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)