Piraeus–Platy railway

Course

The southern terminus of the Piraeus–Platy railway is at the harbour of Piraeus, where connections with ferries to several Greek islands exist. From Piraeus station, the line runs northeast towards the centre of Athens, where it crosses the main Athens railway station, commonly known as Larissa station. Continuing through the northern suburbs of Athens, the line runs to Agioi Anargyroi, where the old Peloponnese line branched off westwards. The metre-gauge track is still in place from this point on.

At Acharnes Railway Center (SKA), the main line connects with the Athens Airport–Patras railway, carrying Athens Suburban Railway services from Piraeus to Athens Airport and to Kiato and Aigio in the Peloponnese. The main line continues northwards and climbs steadily towards Oinoi, through rural and wooded countryside typical of northern Attica. There is a 21.69 km (13.48 mi) branch line from Oinoi to Chalcis.

The works on the new double-track railway from Leianokladi to Domokos was completed in January 2019, while the railway electrification system was completed in April 2019. With the completion of the rebuilt Tithorea–Leianokladi–Domokos section, the Athens–Thessaloniki line is doubled and electrified along its entire length. The old single-track railway was noted for its spectacular mountain scenery between Bralos and Domokos.

There is a 22.61 km (14.05 mi) branch line from Leianokladi passing through Lamia to Stylida. At Palaiofarsalos, an 80.44 km (49.98 mi) line to Karditsa, Trikala and Kalambaka branches off (former Thessaly Railways). There is also a metre-gauge railway to Velestino, which is no longer used commercially. At the Thessalian capital Larissa, there is a 60.76 km (37.75 mi) branch line to Volos. North of Larissa, the line passes through a tunnel at Tempe. The picturesque line adjacent to the coast near Platamon at the northern end of Tempe to Katerini is now abandoned, though still visible. This section of the line provided passengers with unique views towards the mountains and sea as the train travelled along the eastern slopes of Mount Olympus to Katerini.

Platy, Imathia is the point where the nation's two largest cities were first linked by rail in 1916. Trains between the two commenced operations in 1918, with the first through train service from Athens to Paris linking up with the Orient Express, which was inaugurated in 1920. At Platy, the line from Piraeus connects with the line from Thessaloniki to Kozani (including the branch line to Amyntaio) and Florina.

Larissa and Thessaloniki have substantial marshalling yards for both goods and passenger trains. Journey time between Athens and Thessaloniki can vary depending on the type of train selected. Before the Tempi train crash, the regular InterCity service took 4 hours and 13 minutes, while the Express took 3 hours and 59 minutes. Following the implementation of lower operating speeds and other safety measures, the journey times have increased to 7 hours and 17 minutes and 5 hours and 18 minutes respectively. As of October 2024, the journey time between Athens and Thessaloniki is 4 hours and 53 minutes.