Volos railway station

Volos railway station (Greek: Σιδηροδρομικός Σταθμός Βόλου, romanized: Sidirodromikos Stathmos Volos) is a railway station in Volos, Greece. located within the city itself (close to the harbour). Opened on 22 April 1884 by the Thessaly Railways (now part of OSE). Today TrainOSE operates three daily local trains to Larissa. Previously Thessaly Railways oparted a narrow gage service to Mileai from Volos, however this service now starts and terminates from Ano Lechonia (12km from Volos).[3]

Βόλου Volos
Volos railway station in 2017
Location	Volos 383 34, Magnesia Greece
Coordinates	39.3651°N 22.9366°E
Owned by	OSE
Line(s)	Regional Larissa–Volos railway[1] and Volos-Milies railway (partially disused)
Platforms	2 (1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks	2
Train operators	TrainOSE
Construction
Structure type	at-grade
Platform levels	1
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	No
Disabled access
Other information
Status	Staffed
Website	http://www.ose.gr/en/
History
Opened	22 April 1884[2]
Rebuilt	1960 (converted to standard gauge)
Electrified	No
Services
Preceding station   Proastiakos   Following station Velestino toward Larissa Regional Terminus Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station Velestino   Thessaly Railways   Koleti   Thessaly Railways
Location
Volos Location within Greece

History

The station was opened on 22 April 1884, an inauguration led by King George.[4] The station building (and the line) was designed by the Italian Evaristo de Chirico, (father of Giorgio de Chirico) soon after the liberation of Central Greece from the Ottomans. Part of the station still functions in this picturesque 1884 structure, reminiscent of a stately home to some. The building, built between 1882 and 1883 under Evaristo De Chirico, served as the administrative headquarters of the Thessaly Railways. The building remains much the same the day it was constructed and is one of the few buildings that survived the earthquakes that hit Volos in the 1950s.[5] Its roof is birch and has a wooden outline. Outside the station there is a statue of the goddess Athena, the work of the Italian sculptor I. Previsan.[6]

In 1955 Thessaly Railways was absorbed into Hellenic State Railways (SEK).[7] In 1960 the line from Larissa to Volos was converted to standard gauge and connected though Larissa to the mainline from Athens to Thessaloniki, allowing OSE to run through services to Volos from Athens and Thessaloniki. Volos station was converted to dual gauge, in order to accommodate trains of the two branches. Parts of the station and the track towards the city center were at this period of a unique triple-gauge system: standard gauge for Larissa trains, metre gauge for Kalambaka trains and 600 mm gauge for Pellon trains. In 1970 OSE became the legal successor to the SEK, taking over responsibilities for most of Greece's rail infrastructure.

In 2009, with the Greek debt crisis unfolding OSE's Management was forced to reduce services across the network. Timetables were cutback and routes closed, as the government-run entity attempted to reduce overheads. In 2017 OSE's passenger transport sector was privatised as TrainOSE, currently, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane[8] infrastructure, including stations, remained under the control of OSE.

The section from Volos to Agria line was operated as a heritage railway by "The Friends of Pelion Railway" between 1987 and 1994, but OSE forced them to terminate the operation in a row over competition. However, in 1996 OSE reopened the section from Ano Lechonia to Mileai as a heritage railway, initially using steam traction and converting to diesel traction in 1999.[9] However there is currently no connection between Volos and Ano Lekhonia.

Today the first floor of the station building is given over to a museum.[6]

Facilities

The station is staffed, with a cafe in the station. There are toilets and parking onsite.[10] Local and regional buses stop in the forecourt.[11]

Services

Today, the city is served by direct lines to the rest of Greece, via Larissa and the railway complex houses facilities for train maintenance. Volos is directly linked with Athens once per day, with Thessaloniki twice per day, and with Larissa 15 times a day.

In the past Volos was served by railway lines of three different gauges, the metre gauge line of Thessaly Railways to Kalambaka, the standard gauge line to Larissa and the 600 mm (1 ft 11 ⁵⁄₈ in) gauge line to Pelion. Remnants of triple gauge lines still exist near the station. Currently, the Pelion railway operates for touristic heritage service every Saturday, Sunday and public holiday from mid-April to the end of October from Ano Lehonia. The train runs every day during July and August and can be reached using the Volos–Lehonia-Platanidia bus line, currently no services call at Volos.[12]

Station layout

L Ground/Concourse	Customer service	Tickets/Exits
Level Ε1	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Platform 1	Intercity towards Larissa (Melissiatika) ←
	Platform 2	Intercity towards Larissa (Melissiatika) ←
	Island platform, doors on the right/left
	Platform 3	In non-regular use

The station interior and approach

• 
  Volos station 1990 (Photo by John Foss)
• 
  2-car DMU set 5527 on train 1850, 17:32 from Vólos to Kalabáka 6 November 1992.
• 
  The platform of Volos train station 30 September 2017
• 
  Volos train station 30 September 2017
• 
  The Metric approaches leading off to Girtoni 28 September 2009
• 
  The 1884 statue of Athena at the station by G. Previsan.
• 
  Narrow gauge rolling stock under restoration in Volos Engine Sheds in 1990.

External links

• https://www.gtp.gr/TDirectoryDetails.asp?id=77242&lng=1

References

1. "OSE - 2017 Network Statement Annexes".
2. "Σιδηροδρομικός Σταθμός Βόλου- Το κόσμημα της πόλης και η ιστορία του (photos) - e-thessalia.gr". 22 August 2015.
3. http://www.trainose.gr/en/tourism-culture/train-and-recreation/the-pelion-train/
4. "Σιδηροδρομικός Σταθμός Βόλου- Το κόσμημα της πόλης και η ιστορία του (photos) - e-thessalia.gr". 22 August 2015.
5. http://www.trainose.gr/en/ιστορικός-σταθμός-βόλου/
6. "TrainOSE". www.trainose.gr.
7. https://thessalyrailways.gr/?page_id=2768&lang=en
8. "It's a new day for TRAINOSE as FS acquires the entirety of the company's shares". ypodomes.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
9. Organ, J. (2006). Greece Narrow Gauge. Middleton Press. ISBN 1-904474-72-1.
10. https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=el&u=https://www.gtp.gr/TDirectoryDetails.asp%3Fid%3D77242%26lng%3D1&prev=search
11. https://moovitapp.com/index/el/δημόσιες_συγκοινωνίες-Σιδηροδρομικός_Σταθμός_Βόλου-Volos_Βόλος-site_15582710-4060
12. https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=el&u=https://www.gtp.gr/TDirectoryDetails.asp%3Fid%3D77242%26lng%3D1&prev=search