Thessaloniki–Bitola railway

Thessaloniki–Bitola railway
Vodena (today Edessa) station in 1899
Overview
Status	Operational up to Neos Kafkasos
Owner	Hellenic Railways Organisation
Locale	Greece (West Macedonia, Central Macedonia), Republic of North Macedonia
Termini	Thessaloniki 40°38′40″N 22°55′46″E / 40.6444°N 22.9294°E / 40.6444; 22.9294 Bitola 41°01′11″N 21°20′34″E / 41.0197°N 21.3429°E / 41.0197; 21.3429
Stations	25
Service
Type	Regional/Commuter rail
Operator(s)	Hellenic Train
History
Opened	June 1894 (1894-06)
Technical
Line length	219 km (136 mi)
Number of tracks	Double track Thessaloniki–Platy, remainder single track[1]
Character	Secondary
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	only the section Thessaloniki–Platy[1]
Route map Legend Line to Alexandroupoli and Sofia 0.0 Thessaloniki to Skopje 10.9 Sindos from Skopje 28.8 Adendro 36.3 Platy Line to Athens 38.6 Lianovergion 44.1 Alexandreia 49.6 Loutros 52.0 Kefalochori 54.8 Xechasmeni 57.4 Kouloura 62.5 Mesi 67.6 Veroia 79.1 Naoussa 86.8 Episkopi 90.1 Petraia 95.8 Skydra 111.7 Edessa 119.1 Agras 136.8 Arnissa 152.2 Agios Panteleimonas 159.2 Amyntaio Line to Kozani 164.8 Xino Nero 178.5 Vevi Sitaria Florina 187.5 Mesonisi 200.4 Neos Kafkasos border Greece/North Macedonia Kremenica 219 Bitola to Prilep This diagram: view talk edit

The railway from Thessaloniki to Bitola is a 219 kilometres (136 mi) long railway line, that connects the port city Thessaloniki in Greece with Bitola in the Republic of North Macedonia, via Veroia, Edessa, Amyntaio and Florina. The line was opened in 1894 under the name "Société du Chemin de Fer ottoman Salonique-Monastir", when the area was part of the Ottoman Empire.^[2] The section between the international border and Bitola is not used anymore, and as of 2013^[update] passenger services are restricted to the section between Thessaloniki and Florina. The easternmost section of the line, Platy–Thessaloniki, is part of the important connection towards Athens and Northern Greece.

The eastern terminus of the Thessaloniki–Bitola railway is the New Railway Station, Thessaloniki. Leaving the Athens–Thessaloniki mainline at Platy, it runs alongside the Aliakmon River, through Alexandreia and then passes through to Veroia, Naousa, and Skydra, before climbing to Edessa and then, along the northern shore of Lake Vegoritida, reaching Amyntaio. At Amyntaio the Kozani–Amyntaio railway branches off towards Kozani, serving Ptolemaida and the power stations of the national power company ΔΕΗ. The main line continues towards the city of Florina. At Neos Kafkasos, the international border is crossed, and after 219 km the city of Bitola in the Republic of North Macedonia is reached. This short international connection is now disused, with all international traffic being routed via Idomeni and Gevgelija.

The main stations on the Thessaloniki–Bitola railway are:

• New Railway Station, Thessaloniki
• Platy railway station
• Veroia railway station
• Edessa railway station
• Amyntaio railway station
• Florina railway station
• Bitola railway station

The idea of a trans-Macedonian railway had existed since the 1850s when, in January 1859, a Memorandum regarding the construction of the Salonica–Monastir (today's Bitola) line was signed.^[3] It, however, wasn't until 28 October 1890 that the Ottoman Sublime Porte gave Deutsche Bank a concession to build the railway as a branch line of the Oriental Railways and to possibly further extend it to an Albanian port.^[4][5]

"Société du Chemin de Fer ottoman Salonique-Monastir" was set up as an Ottoman company, and its headquarters were in Constantinople. The construction works started in May 1891 and were completed in June 1894. Upon completion, the line operations were given to the Chemins de fer Orientaux, which were already operating the Salonique to Mitrovica and Vranje railways. Whether Baron Maurice de Hirsch took an active role in this railway is debatable, considering he retired from the Balkan railway building shortly before this project began. While at that time, the practice of compulsory work was still in use, labour was cheap in rural Macedonia, and the engineers were reported to be enthusiastically welcomed.^[3]

After the end of Balkan Wars in 1913, the line ended fully in Greek territory, except for the last 17 km to Monastir, which ended up in Yugoslavia. The Greek government purchased the Greek part Salonica Monastir railway on 17 October 1925,^[6] and the railway became part of the Hellenic State Railways.

Locomotives of the Salonic Monastir Railway^[7]

The Thessaloniki–Bitola railway is used by the following passenger services:

• Intercity, Express and Regular services Athens–Thessaloniki and Thessaloniki–Kalampaka^[8]
• Local services Thessaloniki–Florina and Thessaloniki–Larissa^[8]

• 
  Alexandria railway station
• 
  Skydra railway station
• 
  Agras railway station
• 
  Amyntaio railway station
• 
  Florina railway station

• Chemins de fer Orientaux

• Gounaris, Basil C. (1993). Steam over Macedonia, 1870-1912. East European Monographs. ISBN 978-0880332774.