Neo Petritsi railway station

Νέο Πετρίτσι
Neo Petritsi
General information
LocationSintiki 620 43,
Serres
Greece
Coordinates41°16′12″N 23°17′52″E / 41.26998°N 23.297681°E / 41.26998; 23.297681
Owned byGAIAOSE[1]
LineThessaloniki–Alexandroupoli railway[2]
Platforms1
Tracks1
Train operatorsHellenic Train
Connections
Construction
Structure typeat-grade
Depth1
Platform levels1
ParkingYes
Accessible
Other information
StatusUnstaffed
Websitehttp://www.ose.gr/en/
History
ElectrifiedNo[2]
Services
Preceding station Regional Rail Following station
Vyroneia
towards Thessaloniki
Line T3 Strymonas
towards Drama
Suspended services
Preceding station Hellenic Train Following station
Vyroneia
towards Thessaloniki
InterCity
Thessaloniki–Alexandroupolis
Fast train
Sidirokastro
InterCity
Thessaloniki–Alexandroupolis
Strymonas
InterCity
Thessaloniki–Serres
Strymonas
towards Serres
Location
Neo Petritsi
Location within Greece

Neo Petritsi railway station (Greek: Σιδηροδρομικός Σταθμός Νέο Πετρίτσι, romanizedSidirodromikós stathmós Neo Petritsi) is a railway station that servers the community of Petritsi, in Serres in Central Macedonia, Greece. The station is located just south of the settlement but still within the settlement limits. The station is unstaffed.

History

In 2009, with the Greek debt crisis unfolding OSE's Management was forced to reduce services across the network. Timetables were cutback, routes closed, and stations left abandoned[3] as the government-run entity attempted to reduce overheads. Services from Thessaloniki and Alexandroupolis were reduced from six to just two trains a day, reducing the reliability of services and passenger numbers. In 2017 OSE's passenger transport sector was privatised as TrainOSE, currently, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane[4] infrastructure, including stations, remained under the control of OSE. Since 2020, the station is served by the Thessaloniki Regional Railway (formerly the Suburban Railway). In July 2022, the station began being served by Hellenic Train, the rebranded TranOSE[5]

In August 2025, the Greek Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport confirmed the creation of a new body, Greek Railways (Greek: Σιδηρόδρομοι Ελλάδος, romanizedEllinikí Sidiródromi Monoprósopi)[6] 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.[7] Rail safety has been identified as a key priority.[8] 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.[9]

Facilities

The station is little more than a halt, with only a small brick building (set back from the platform edge. As of (2022) the station is unstaffed, with no staffed booking office. There is no footbridge over the lines, though passengers can walk across the rails and not wheelchair accessible. The platform has a shelter with seating. However, there are no electronic departure and arrival screens or timetable poster boards on the platforms.

Services

As of 12 May 2025, Line 3 of the Thessaloniki Regional Railway calls at this station:[10] service is currently limited, with two trains per day to Thessaloniki (trains 1635 and 3633), one train per day to Serres (3632), and one train per day to Drama (1634, via Serres).[11][12]

It was also served by two long-distance trains between Thessaloniki and Alexandroupolis, but the service is currently suspended.

References

  1. ^ "Home". gaiaose.com.
  2. ^ a b "Annexes". Network Statement (PDF) (2023 ed.). Athens: Hellenic Railways Organization. 17 January 2023. p. 5-6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  3. ^ "10 λόγοι για να κλείσεις τραπέζι στο Fuga! [εικόνες]". Reader (in Greek). Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  4. ^ "It's a new day for TRAINOSE as FS acquires the entirety of the company's shares". ypodomes.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  5. ^ "TrainOSE renamed Hellenic Train, eyes expansion". ekathimerini.com. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  6. ^ Smith, Kevin (12 September 2025). "Greek Railways formed in a major restructuring". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  7. ^ International, Railway Gazette. "Greece restructures railway infrastructure manager to implement safety and efficiency improvements". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  8. ^ Cech, Lubomir (4 September 2025). "3 Greek companies merge to create Greek Railways". RAILMARKET.com. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  9. ^ Smith, Kevin (12 September 2025). "Greek Railways formed in major restructuring". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  10. ^ "Map". Hellenic Train. Athens. 10 March 2025. Archived from the original (SVG) on 31 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  11. ^ "Hellenic Train Ticketing". Hellenic Train (in Greek). Athens. 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  12. ^ "Δελτίο Τύπου 30/01/2020 - Νέα δρομολόγια μεταξύ Θεσσαλονίκης - Κιλκίς - Σερρών και αντίστροφα από 03.02.2020". TrainOSE. 30 January 2020.