Kirki railway station
Κίρκη Kirki | |||||||||||||
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| General information | |||||||||||||
| Location | Kirki, Alexandroupoli Evros Greece | ||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°58′32″N 25°47′52″E / 40.975526°N 25.797673°E | ||||||||||||
| Owned by | GAIAOSE[1] | ||||||||||||
| Line | Thessaloniki–Alexandroupolis railway[2] | ||||||||||||
| Train operators | Hellenic Train | ||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||
| Structure type | at-grade | ||||||||||||
| Accessible | |||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||
| Status | Unstaffed | ||||||||||||
| Website | http://www.ose.gr/en/ | ||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||
| Opened | 1896 | ||||||||||||
| Electrified | No[2] | ||||||||||||
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Kirki railway station (Greek: Σιδηροδρομικός Σταθμός Κίρκη, romanized: Sidirodromikos Stathmos Kirki) is a railway station in the village Kirki, part of the municipality Alexandroupoli in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. The station buildings are intact, but disused.[3] The station stands 0.5 km (0.3 mi) from the village centre[4] located within the village of Kirki. The journey from Kirki to Alexandroupli takes around 30 mins.[5]
History
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; this included the Kozani–Amyntaio line. From 1 August 2009, the passenger services were reduced to only one train per day [6] and the passenger services were withdrawn completely in 2010, as part of the reorganization of Trainose, and under the pretext that the line was considered unprofitable, depriving the prefecture of Kozani and the cities of Ptolemaida and Kozani of a rail connection. Indicatively, it was mentioned that the journey from Kozani to Thessaloniki took 3 hours with the IC 60/61 Pavlos Melas, while with the KTEL buses, via Egnatia Odos the journey took 1.5 hours). In August 2013, Proastiakos services where extended to Florina.
In 2017 OSE's passenger transport sector was privatised as TrainOSE, currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane[7] infrastructure, including stations, remained under the control of OSE. In 2019 The Special Urban Development Study of the Kozani Railway Station was approved.[8] however passenger services have yet to recommence. In July 2022, the station began being served by Hellenic Train, the rebranded TranOSE.[9] Infrequent freight trains still use the Kozani line to reach the PPC power-generating stations.
In August 2025, the Greek Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport confirmed the creation of a new body, Greek Railways (Greek: Σιδηρόδρομοι Ελλάδος, romanized: Ellinikí Sidiródromi Monoprósopi)[10] 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.[11] Rail safety has been identified as a key priority.[12] 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.[13]
Facilities
The station is still housed in the original 19th-century brick-built station building; however, the buildings are rundown and abandoned.[14] As of (2020) the station is unstaffed, with no staffed booking office or waiting rooms. There is no footbridge over the lines, though passengers can walk across the rails, it is, however, not wheelchair accessible. The station has no toilet facilities; as a result, the station is currently little more than an unstaffed halt.
Services
The station is served by around one train per day, to/from Alexandroupoli and Thessaloniki.[15]
References
- ^ "Home". gaiaose.com.
- ^ a b "Annexes". Network Statement (PDF) (2023 ed.). Athens: Hellenic Railways Organization. 17 January 2023. p. 5-6. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Thessaloniki to Kirki by train".
- ^ "Thessaloniki to Kirki by train".
- ^ "Trains Kirki - Alexandroupoli: Timetables and prices | Virail".
- ^ TrainOSE S.A. "Timetables 1 August 2009", Tables 8A/8B
- ^ "It's a new day for TRAINOSE as FS acquires the entirety of the company's shares". ypodomes.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- ^ "Εγκρίθηκε η Ειδική Πολεοδομική Μελέτη ανάπτυξης του Σιδηροδρομικού Σταθμού Κοζάνης". Michanikos Online (in Greek). 24 May 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "TrainOSE renamed Hellenic Train, eyes expansion". eKathimerini.com. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ Smith, Kevin (12 September 2025). "Greek Railways formed in a major restructuring". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
- ^ International, Railway Gazette. "Greece restructures railway infrastructure manager to implement safety and efficiency improvements". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
- ^ Cech, Lubomir (4 September 2025). "3 Greek companies merge to create Greek Railways". RAILMARKET.com. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
- ^ Smith, Kevin (12 September 2025). "Greek Railways formed in major restructuring". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
- ^ "Αραρίσκοντας: Ένας ξεχασμένος σταθμός".
- ^ Myrtsidis, Diamantis (2021). Η Ιστορία του Σιδηροδρόμου στον Έβρο (The History of Evros Railway) (in greek) (2nd ed.). Nea Vyssa: Myrtsidis. pp. 159–161. ISBN 978-618-00-3174-4.