Piraeus ( el, Πειραιάς, ) is the name of two railway stations in
Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saron ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
, approximately 9 km south-west of the centre of
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
. The southern building is the present terminus of
Athens Metro Line 1
Line 1 is the oldest of the three lines of the Athens Metro, running from to . The Athens-Piraeus Railway Company (SAP S.A.) first opened the line, between and , on 27 February 1869. On 4 February 1885 Lavrion Square-Strofyli railway line opene ...
, formerly the Athens-Piraeus Railways Co that opened in 1869. The northern building is the railway terminus for
standard gauge railway services of the
Athens Suburban Railway to the
Acharnes Railway Center and .
Both buildings are located next to the seaport.
The
Electric Railways Museum of Piraeus is located in the station, in the space of the former Post Office.
History
Piraeus metro station
The Piraeus
metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...
station opened in 1869 by Sap company to connect
Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saron ...
and
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
(at the time Piraeus was not yet integral part of Athens agglomeration) as a conventional steam
single-track mixed cargo and passenger railway line and electrified in 1904 however, the line had open between
Thissio and
Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saron ...
(with the first terminal in Neo Faliro) in 1869, becoming the first railway line in Greece. The
Line 3 extension opened on 10 October 2022.
Piraeus railway station
The Station opened on then Ploutonos Street, today's Kallimassioti coast on 30 June 1884 on what was the
Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese line (or SPAP) build to connect In 1920
Hellenic State Railways Hellenic State Railways or SEK ( el, Σιδηρόδρομοι Ελληνικού Κράτους, ''Sidirodromi Ellinikou Kratous''; Σ.Ε.Κ.) was a Greek public sector entity (legal person of public law, el, Ν.Π.Δ.Δ.) which was established in ...
or SEK was established, however, many railways, such as the
SPAP continued to be run as a separate company, becoming an independent company once more two years later.
Due to growing debts, the
SPAP came under government control between 1939 and 1940. During the
Axis occupation of Greece (1941–44), Athens was controlled by German military forces, and the line was used for the transport of troops and weapons. During the occupation (and especially during German withdrawal in 1944), the network was severely damaged by both the German army and Greek resistance groups. The track and rolling stock replacement took time following the
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, with normal service levels resumed around 1948. In 1954
SPAP was nationalized once more. In 1962 the
SPAP was amalgamated into
SEK. In 1970
OSE became the legal successor to the
SEK, taking over responsibilities for most of Greece's rail infrastructure. On 1 January 1971 the station, and most of the Greek rail infrastructure was transferred to the ''
Hellenic Railways Organisation S.A.'', a state-owned corporation. Freight traffic declined sharply when the state-imposed monopoly of OSE for the transport of agricultural products and fertilisers ended in the early 1990s. Many small stations of the network with little passenger traffic were closed down.
In 2001 the infrastructure element of OSE was created, known as GAIAOSE, it would henceforth be responsible for the maintenance, of stations, bridges and other elements of the network, as well as the leasing and the sale of railway assists. In 2003, OSE launched "Proastiakos SA", as a subsidiary to serve the operation of the suburban network in the urban complex of Athens during the
2004 Olympic Games
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
. In 2005, TrainOSE was created as a brand within OSE to concentrate on rail services and passenger interface. That same year the station closed, with the last service 7 August 2005, together with the section Piraeus-Agioi Anargyroi of the railway line Athens "Peloponnese Central station-Corinth. After reconstruction, it was reopened as a station of the Athens Suburban Railway on 3 June 2007. Until 2005 it served the rail transport between Piraeus and Piraeus. this was also known informally as the Peloponnese Station. From Piraeus station, a line led to the port of Piraeus, through which freight trains were circulating that performed transhipments between the railway and the ships.
In 2008, the Athens Suburban Railway was transferred to TrainOSE. In 2009, with the
Greek debt crisis
Greece faced a sovereign debt crisis in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2007–2008. Widely known in the country as The Crisis (Greek: Η Κρίση), it reached the populace as a series of sudden reforms and austerity measures that l ...
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 2014 work began to update and expand the station. In 2017
OSE's passenger transport sector was privatised as
TrainOSE
Hellenic Train S.A., formerly TrainOSE S.A. ( el, ΤραινΟΣΕ Α.Ε., pronounced ''trenosé'') is a private railway company in Greece which currently operates passenger and freight trains on OSE lines. TrainOSE was acquired in September 201 ...
, currently, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane
infrastructure, including stations, remained under the control of state-owned OSE. In July 2022, the station began being served by
Hellenic Train
Hellenic Train S.A., formerly TrainOSE S.A. ( el, ΤραινΟΣΕ Α.Ε., pronounced ''trenosé'') is a private railway company in Greece which currently operates passenger and freight trains on OSE lines. TrainOSE was acquired in September 201 ...
, the rebranded TrainOSE.
[https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1188080/trainose-renamed-hellenic-train-eyes-expansion/ ]
Services
Since 15 May 2022, the following weekday services call at the railway station:
*
Athens Suburban Railway Line 1 towards , with up to one train per hour;
*
Athens Suburban Railway Line 2 towards , with up to one train per hour.
The surface metro station is served by
Athens Metro
The Athens Metro ( el, Μετρό Αθήνας, Metro Athinas, translit-std=iso) is a rapid-transit system in Greece which serves the Athens urban area and parts of East Attica. Line 1 opened as a conventional steam railway in 1869 and electrif ...
Line 1 trains towards , while the underground station is served by
Athens Metro
The Athens Metro ( el, Μετρό Αθήνας, Metro Athinas, translit-std=iso) is a rapid-transit system in Greece which serves the Athens urban area and parts of East Attica. Line 1 opened as a conventional steam railway in 1869 and electrif ...
Line 3 trains towards or the Athens Airport to the east, and to the south.
Station layout
Gallery
File:Athens Metro Piraeus station-CN.jpg, Line 1 platform
File:Piraeus metro line 3 platform.jpg, Line 3 platform
File:Piraeus metro entrance sign.jpg, Station's sign at Akti Kallimasioti
File:Piraeus metro entrance line 1 odissou.jpg, Line 1's entrance at Odissou Sq.
File:Piraeus metro entrance line 1 kallimasioti.jpg, Line 1's entrance at Akti Kallimasioti
File:Piraeus metro entrance line 3 odissou.jpg, Line 3's entrance at Odissou Sq.
File:Piraeus metro entrance line 3 kallimasioti.jpg, Line 3's entrance at Akti Kallimasioti
File:Piraeus metro concourse.jpg, Line 3 station's concourse level
File:Piraeus metro line 3 platform sign.jpg, Station's Line 3 platform sign
See also
*
Athens-Piraeus Electric Railways
*
Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saron ...
*
Athens Larissa Station
References
External links
Piraeus metro line 3 station construction videos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piraeus Station
Athens Metro stations located underground
Athens Metro stations located above ground
Railway stations opened in 1869
Buildings and structures in Piraeus
Railway stations in Attica
1869 establishments in Greece
Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways