Messinian Suburban Railway

Messenia Suburban Railway
Overview
Service typeSuburban railway
StatusProposed / Historical seasonal operation
LocaleMessenia, Greece
Last service2016
Current operator—
Former operatorOSE
Ridership18.290 weekly
Daily ridership590
Websiteose.gr
Route
TerminiKalamata
Messinia, Diavolitsi
Stops18
Distance travelled40km
Average journey time10-15 minutes (Messinia - Kalamata) 40 minutes (Diavolitsi - Kalamata)
Service frequency5-15 minutes
Lines usedKalamata - Messinia, Kalamata - Athina
On-board services
Disabled accessRestricted due to age of rolling stock
Seating arrangementsSuburban train style
Catering facilitiesOn the stations Messini,Kalamata,Zevgolatio and Diavolitsi
Baggage facilitiesOverhead racks
Other facilitiesMaintenance depot, Cleaning depot, Refueling spot, Driver's dome, Traffic Control Room
Technical
ElectrificationProposed
Operating speed60km/h (till 2011) 30km/h(2012–2016) on Kalamata - Messini Line 120km/h on Kalamata - Diavolitsi line
DepotNorthwest of Kalamata

The term Messenian Suburban Railway (or Kalamata Suburban Railway) may refer either to the seasonal local railway services that operated between Kalamata and Messini, Greece during the period 2007–2016 after the suspension of the railway system in Peloponnese, or to the proposed development of a new suburban rail network in the Messenia regional unit

History

The Asprochoma - Messinia part of the line was built in 1892 but ceased operations the year 1976. Just five years before the suspension of the Metre-gauge railway of Peloponnesos, as a result of the economical crisis, the line ceased operations on 30th of January 2011 after it had been re-opened on 21 September 2007. The line was served by tactical rail services till 2011 but after the suspension the suburban railway was active during Christmas period and between 1st and 20th of August during the Messinia Fest making it the third operational line in Peloponnese with Patras Suburban Railway and Diakopto–Kalavryta railway . While it had not been named Proastiakos (Suburb and regional train service in Greece) the routes, trains and time tables are like the ones of a suburban railway. Only the last years it is called by officials as Suburban Railway even thought the first time it was unofficially named like that it was in the early 2000s after OSE started a rebranding and upgrade of the Athens - Korinthos line.

Proposed plans

The proposed system would include three lines: Kalamata – Messini, running entirely on Asprochoma - Messenia railway line, Kalamata – Zevgolateio – Diavolitsi, and Kalamata – Kopanaki, utilizing the existing Metre-gauge railway infrastructure of the region of the abandoned Peloponnesian railway According to feasibility estimates, the reactivation of the Kalamata–Messini line would require an investment of approximately €5 million, with annual operating costs estimated at €700,000. Historical ridership data from 2009 to 2010, when regular service was in operation, recorded 8,878 tickets sold within only 15 days, averaging over 590 passengers per day, indicating a strong level of demand.[1] During the later seasonal operation (2011–2016), daily ridership during peak holiday periods is reported to have exceeded those numbers.

The proposal has gained support from multiple local and regional bodies, including the Friends of the Railway Society of Messenia,[2] the Municipal Council of Kalamata, the current Mayor of Kalamata,[3] and the regional political movement "Prota i Peloponnisos" (Peloponnese First).[1] The Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) has also expressed formal interest in the project[4] after strong disagreement of the Local communities on a study of TEE that wanted to convert the railway line to a bicycle path[5]

Feasibility and viability studies regarding the broader Korinthos–Kalamata metre-gauge corridor are currently being conducted by the Swiss Embassy in Greece in cooperation with the Hellenic Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage (ELLET).[6] The results of these studies are expected to be publicly presented in late 2025.[7] Due to the previous renovation works carried out between 2009 and 2012 (including station and depot restoration) and the availability of suitable rolling stock, full reactivation works are estimated to require only a few months once approved.

On 31 December 2025, as a symbolic gesture towards the potential reactivation of the Peloponnese railway network, a special ceremonial train is scheduled to operate with the approval of OSE (Hellenic Railways Organisation). The event is organized jointly by the Municipality of Kalamata and the Railway Friends Association of Messenia. The train, carrying Santa Claus, his elves and Christmas gifts,[8] will depart from the Kalamata depot and arrive at the Kalamata Central Station, where presents will be distributed to children in a festive event celebrating the city's railway heritage and renewal efforts. Afterwards the train will do a small route with passengers on board till Asprochoma,and back to the railway station of Kalamata[9]

The train arriving at 13:00 (local time) will stop at the second platform in order to protect the spectators and have enough space. If there are many people there will be a 2nd or even 3rd route.The technicians of OSE visited the line in early September and they came to the conclusion that the line is in excellent condition[10]. The municipality of Kalamata has started to maintain the railway[11] while the railway friends association of Messinia opened, cleaned and decorated the station's master office after 10 years[12]. A team made by volunteers repainted and cleaned the 2 MAN1 DMUs that will be used on the event[13]

Rolling stock

Class Type QTY Manufacturer Power Year Photo Additional Info
OSE Class 6521 21 Hellenic Shipyards 305 kW 1990 All OSE class 6521 were moved to Piraeus depot in 2011 in order to be protected and stored for the future reactivation. All units are still available for operation. Only 3 of them are currently on Kalamata depot
OSE class 4500 G.T.W. 2/6 15 Stadler Bombardier 2003 All units were moved to Patras were they are seving Patras Suburban Railway to this day
OSE Class 6501 Intercity 18 Hellenic Shipyards 796 kW 1990

Video Footage

Luckily there are many videos on youtube mostly between the years 2005-2010 which are showing the routes even on cab drives (click the reference to see the video)

Kalamata - Corinth [14]

Athens (Piraeus) - Patras - Olympia[15]

Messini - Kalamata[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Πρώτα η Πελοπόννησος: Πρόταση επαναλειτουργίας του Προαστιακού Μεσσηνίας". ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΔΑ ΘΑΡΡΟΣ. 2025-11-06. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  2. ^ Λαγός, Θανάσης. "Μεσσηνία: Προαστιακός τώρα, ή οριστικό «λουκέτο»". ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ Online - Εφημερίδα Ελευθερία - Ειδήσεις από την Καλαμάτα, την Μεσσηνία, την Πελοπόννησο, την Ελλάδα (in Greek). Archived from the original on 2025-10-02. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  3. ^ "Πληθαίνουν οι φωνές για την επαναλειτουργία του σιδηροδρόμου". ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΔΑ ΘΑΡΡΟΣ. 2025-09-23. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  4. ^ "Ψήφισμα της αντιπροσωπείας του ΤΕΕ Πελοποννήσου για τον σιδηρόδρομο Πελοποννήσου". BEST TV Καλαμάτα (in Greek). 7 November 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  5. ^ Sepi (2025-10-03). "ΔΤ: Το Τεχνικό Επιμελητήριο Ελλάδας και το Υπουργείο Περιβάλλοντος προωθούν την οριστική καταστροφή του Σιδηροδρομικού Δικτύου της Πελοποννήσου". Ελληνική Εταιρεία Περιβάλλοντος και Πολιτισμού (in Greek). Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  6. ^ "Τι σκέφτονται οι Ελβετοί για το τραίνο της Πελοποννήσου". www.anagnostis.org/ (in Greek). 2024-03-17. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  7. ^ Sepi (2025-10-23). "ΔΤ: Καλά νέα για τον Σιδηρόδρομο της Πελοποννήσου". Ελληνική Εταιρεία Περιβάλλοντος και Πολιτισμού (in Greek). Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  8. ^ ""Το Πολικό Εξπρές" έρχεται παραμονή Πρωτοχρονιάς στην Καλαμάτα: Το τρένο του Άη Βασίλη μαζί με τα ξωτικά του θα φτάσει στον Κεντρικό Σιδηροδρομικό Σταθμό - Messinia Live" (in Greek). 2025-10-30. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  9. ^ "Ο Άγιος Βασίλης έρχεται με το τρένο στην Καλαμάτα την παραμονή της Πρωτοχρονιάς". ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΔΑ ΘΑΡΡΟΣ. 2025-10-31. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  10. ^ Σινάπης, Γιάννης. "Το τρένο θα σφυρίξει συμβολικά μετά από 10 χρόνια: Προχωρούν οι ετοιμασίες στη γραμμή της Καλαμάτας". ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ Online - Εφημερίδα Ελευθερία - Ειδήσεις από την Καλαμάτα, την Μεσσηνία, την Πελοπόννησο, την Ελλάδα (in Greek). Archived from the original on 2025-12-10. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  11. ^ "Σε πυρετό προετοιμασιών η Καλαμάτα για το εορταστικό τρένο την παραμονή της Πρωτοχρονιάς-Καθαρίζεται η γραμμή - Messinia Live" (in Greek). 2025-12-09. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  12. ^ "Μετά από 10 χρόνια άνοιξε και πάλι το Σταθμαρχείο στον κεντρικό Σιδηροδρομικό Σταθμό Καλαμάτας-Ετοιμασίες για το "τρένο του Άη Βασίλη" - Messinia Live" (in Greek). 2025-12-18. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  13. ^ "Συνεχίζονται οι προετοιμασίες για το τρένο του Άη Βασίλη που παραμονή Πρωτοχρονιάς έρχεται στην Καλαμάτα - Messinia Live" (in Greek). 2025-12-13. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  14. ^ afidaz Grklmt (2020-05-20). ΣΠΑΠ Καλαμάτα Κόρινθος cab ride. Retrieved 2025-12-21 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ Γρηγόρης Gregory Θεοφανίδης Theofanidis (2018-03-10). ΣΠΑΠ Πειραιας Κορινθος Πατρα Πυργος Ολυμπία. Retrieved 2025-12-21 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ MLWA450 (2013-09-24). Cab ride at Messini line. Retrieved 2025-12-21 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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