Kastanies railway station
Καστανιές Kastanies | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Orestiada 680 01 Evros Greece | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°38′50″N 26°29′11″E / 41.6472867°N 26.4865270°E | ||||||||||
| Owned by | GAIAOSE[1] | ||||||||||
| Line | Alexandroupoli–Svilengrad railway[2] | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | ||||||||||
| Train operators | Hellenic Train | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | at-grade | ||||||||||
| Parking | No | ||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | No | ||||||||||
| Accessible | |||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Status | Unstaffed | ||||||||||
| Website | http://www.ose.gr/en/ | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1971 | ||||||||||
| Electrified | No[2] | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Kastanies railway station (Greek: Σιδηροδρομική Στάση Καστανέων, romanized: Sidirodromiki Stasi Kastanies) is a railway stop in Kastanies, Greece.[3] It was opened in 1971 by the OSE. It is one of the northernmost railway stops in Greece, close to the Turkish border.[4] lies 1.1 km (0.68 mi) from the village center, down an unnamed road on the edge of the village. The journey from Kastanies to Alexandroupoli takes around 128 mins.[5]
History
The station opened in 1971 as part of Greek efforts to create a passing loop for the CO. The then SEK designed and constructed a 9 km (5.6 mi) direct connection between Nea Vyssa and Marasia within the Greek borders, bypassing Karaağaç. The new line section included Kastanies railway station and a new bridge over the river Ardas.[6] Karaağaç railway station was abandoned, the track lifted and the building converted to other use.
Following the Tempi crash, Hellenic Train announced rail replacement bus's[7] on certain routes across the Greek rail network, starting Wednesday 15 March 2023.[8]
In August 2025, the Greek Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport confirmed the creation of a new body, Greek Railways (Greek: Σιδηρόδρομοι Ελλάδος, romanized: Ellinikí Sidiródromi Monoprósopi)[9] to assume responsibility for rail infrastructure, planning, modernisation projects, and rolling stock across Greece. Previously, these functions were divided among several state-owned entities: OSE, which managed infrastructure; ERGOSÉ, responsible for modernisation projects; and GAIAOSÉ, which owned stations, buildings, and rolling stock. OSE had overseen both infrastructure and operations until its vertical separation in 2005.[10] Rail safety has been identified as a key priority.[11] The merger follows the July approval of a Parliamentary Bill to restructure the national railway system, a direct response to the Tempi accident of February 2023, in which 43 people died after a head-on collision.[12]
Facilities
The stations is equipped solely with a waiting room on the single platform. The unstaffed halt has been the victim of repeated graffiti and vandalism.
Services
As of 2020 the stop is served by only one daily pair of local trains to/from Alexandroupoli.[3] There are currently no services to Svilengrad.
As of October 2024 all services are run as a rail-replacement bus service.
Stop layout
| Ground level | Exit | |
| Level Ε1 |
Side platform, doors will open on the right/left | |
| Platform 1Α | towards Alexandroupoli (Nea Vyssa) → | |
| Platform 1Β | towards Ormenio (Marasia) ← | |
References
- ^ "Home". gaiaose.com.
- ^ a b "Annexes". Network Statement (PDF) (2023 ed.). Athens: Hellenic Railways Organization. 17 January 2023. pp. 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 Myrtsidis, Diamantis (2021). Η Ιστορία του Σιδηροδρόμου στον Έβρο (The History of Evros Railway) (in greek) (2nd ed.). Nea Vyssa: Myrtsidis. pp. 226–227. ISBN 978-618-00-3174-4.
- ^ "Kastanies Train Station Photo from Kastanies in Evros | Greece.com". www.greece.com. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
- ^ "Trains Kirki - Alexandroupoli: Timetables and prices | Virail".
- ^ I. Zartaloudis; D. Karatolos; D. Koutelidis; G. Nathenas; S. Fasoulas; A. Filippoupolitis (1997). Οι Ελληνικοί Σιδηρόδρομοι (Hellenic Railways) (in Greek). Μίλητος (Militos). p. 126. ISBN 960-8460-07-7.
- ^ 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) - ^ Smith, Kevin (12 September 2025). "Greek Railways formed in a major restructuring". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
- ^ International, Railway Gazette. "Greece restructures railway infrastructure manager to implement safety and efficiency improvements". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
- ^ Cech, Lubomir (4 September 2025). "3 Greek companies merge to create Greek Railways". RAILMARKET.com. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
- ^ Smith, Kevin (12 September 2025). "Greek Railways formed in major restructuring". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 5 November 2025.