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Sofades railway station

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Railway station in Sofades, Thessaly

Hellenic TrainΣοφάδες
Sofades
General information
LocationSofades 433 00,
Karditsa
Greece
Coordinates39°12′09″N 21°03′04″E / 39.2025°N 21.0512°E / 39.2025; 21.0512
Owned byGAIAOSE
Line(s)Palaiofarsalos–Kalambaka railway
Platforms1
Tracks1
Train operatorsHellenic Train
Construction
Structure typeat-grade
Platform levels1
ParkingYes
Accessible
Other information
StatusUnstaffed
Websitehttp://www.ose.gr/en/
History
Opened16 June 1886; 138 years ago (1886-06-16)
Rebuilt2000/2001
ElectrifiedNo
Services
Preceding station Hellenic Train Hellenic Train Following station
Karditsatowards Kalambaka InterCityAthens–Kalambaka Palaiofarsalostowards Athens
LocalKalambaka branch PalaiofarsalosTerminus
Former service
Preceding station Thessaly Railways Following station
Stasis Sofadontowards Volos Volos–Kalambaka Karditsatowards Kalambaka
Location
Sofades is located in GreeceSofadesSofadesLocation within Greece

Sofades railway station (Greek: Σιδηροδρομικός σταθμός Σοφάδων, romanized: Sidirodromikós stathmós Sofades) is a railway station in town of Sofades, in the Karditsa regional unit, Thessaly. Located just outside the town centre, it opened on 16 June 1886 by the Thessaly Railways (now part of OSE). Today Hellenic Train operates both regional and intercity services to destinations across Greece.

History

The station open 16 June 1886 by the Thessaly Railways. The original station building (and the line) was designed by the Italian Evaristo de Chirico, (father of Giorgio de Chirico). The line was authorised by the Greek government under the law AMH’/22.6.1882. soon after the liberation of Central Greece from the Ottomans.

After the First World War, the Greek state planned the ambitious construction of several new rail lines and links, including a standard gauge line from Kalambaka onto Kozani and then Veroia creating a conversion of the route from Volos to Kalambaka on standard gauge. In 1927, the relevant decisions were made; starting in 1928, work was carried out on the construction of the new line from Kalambaka. But a year later, it was clear that the project would exceed the estimated costs many times over. In 1932, the construction work was stopped and remains unfinished. In 1955 Thessaly Railways was absorbed into Hellenic State Railways (SEK). In 1970 OSE became the legal successor to the SEK, taking over responsibilities for most of Greece's rail infrastructure.

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, especially on the mainline section and between Karditsa and Kalampaka. In 2001 the section between Kalampaka and Palaiofarsalos was converted from Narrow gauge (1000 mm) to standard gauge (1435 mm) and physically connected at Palaiofarsalos with the mainline from Athens to Thessaloniki. Since to upgrade. However, travel times improved, and the unification of rail gauge allowed direct services, even InterCity services, to link Sofades and Kalambaka with Athens and Thessaloniki.

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 2005, TrainOSE was created as a brand within OSE to concentrate on rail services and passenger interface. In 2009, with the Greek debt crisis unfolding OSE's Management was forced to reduce services across the network. Timetables were cut back, and routes closed as the government-run entity attempted to reduce overheads. In 2015 a 15-year-old child was airlifted to hospital after being electrocuted at the station. In 2017 OSE's passenger transport sector was privatised as TrainOSE; currently, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane infrastructure, including stations, remained under the control of OSE. In July 2022, the station began being served by Hellenic Train, the rebranded TranOSE

On the 5 September 2023, Storm Daniel triggered largescale flooding in Thessaly. The rail infrastructure was badly affected in the region, cutting on both Regional and Intercity routes as significant parts of the infrastructure were washed away. OSE engineers were on the ground in the worst affected areas Domokos, Doxaras, and Paleofarsalos to assess the extent of the damage, and prepare detailed reports, and seek financial assistance from the European Union. 50 km (31 mi) of tracks was completely destroyed

Repairing the extensive damage, was estimated at between 35 and 45 million euros. OSE managing director, Panagiotis Terezakis, spoke of reconstruction works reaching 50 million euros, confirming at the same time that there will be no rail traffic in the effected sections of the network for at least a month. The devastation goes beyond the tracks and signalling, affecting costly equipment such as the European Train Control System (ETCS), which enhances rail safety. The line from Palaiofarsalos–Kalambaka was damaged, with extensive work needed to repair the line and resume services As a result services between Palaiofarsalos and Kalambaka remain suspended across Thessaly’s coast until the track is repaired, with a rail-replacement bus in operation.

Facilities

At platform level, there are sheltered seating but currently no Dot-matrix display departure, arrival screens or timetable poster boards. The station has ramps and toilets. The station is (as of 2020) unstaffed, with no ticket-purchasing facilities with some limited on-street parking.

Services

This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: According to this source, the Palaiofarsalos–Kalambaka railway is currently closed, with services run by rail replacement bus service. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2025)

Today, the station is served by direct lines to the rest of Greece via Palaiofarsalos, served by intercity trains to Athens, Palaiofarsalos Larissa and Thessaloniki. Previously Thessaly Railways operated a narrow gauge service to Volos.

In August 2009, TrainOSE S.A. proceeded to a drastic cutback of passenger services on Thessaly lines. As of Spring 2020, There are ten (five in each direction) Regional Express services on Palaiofarsalos-Kalambaka Line. In addition, there is one Regional Express train to Athens from Kalambaka and back (884/885).

Station layout

Ground level Exit
Level
Ε1 		Side platform, doors will open on the right/left
Platform 1Α → TrainOSE towards Kalambaka (Karditsa) →
platform 1Β → TrainOSE towards Larissa (Palaiofarsalos) ←

References

  1. ^ "Home". gaiaose.com.
  2. ^ "Annexes". Network Statement (PDF) (2023 ed.). Athens: Hellenic Railways Organization. 17 January 2023. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023. Alt URL
  3. ιστορικός σταθμός βόλου trainose.gr
  4. ^ "HistoryEN | Thessaly Museum Railways". thessalyrailways.gr. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020.
  5. Alexandros C. Gregoriou The Kalambaka - Kozani - Veroia railway 1928 - 1932 (Kopie im Internet Archive) at the Wayback Machine (archived April 1, 2009)
  6. "Upgrading of Paleofarsalos – Kalambaka line". ΕΡΓΟΣΕ. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  7. Καραγιάννη, Έφη. "alexandriamou.gr - Τραυματισμός Ατόμου από Ηλεκτροπληξία στο σιδηροδρομικού σταθμό Λεπτοκαρυάς Πιερίας". www.alexandriamou.gr. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  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. "TrainOSE renamed Hellenic Train, eyes expansion | eKathimerini.com". www.ekathimerini.com. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  10. Skopeliti, Clea (29 September 2023). "'The earth is sick': Storm Daniel has passed, but Greeks fear its deathly legacy". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  11. "Οι πόλεις που δεν πηγαίνει σήμερα το τρένο - Ποιες το έχασαν και πού λειτουργεί η τηλεδιοίκηση". Reader (in Greek). 28 February 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  12. "Greece's floods disrupt rail services". RAILMARKET.com. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  13. "Οι πόλεις που δεν πηγαίνει σήμερα το τρένο - Ποιες το έχασαν και πού λειτουργεί η τηλεδιοίκηση". Reader (in Greek). 28 February 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  14. "Greece: 50 km of destroyed tracks require 50 million euro investments". RailFreight.com. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  15. "Οι πόλεις που δεν πηγαίνει σήμερα το τρένο - Ποιες το έχασαν και πού λειτουργεί η τηλεδιοίκηση". Reader (in Greek). 28 February 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  16. "Greece: 50 km of destroyed tracks require 50 million euro investments". RailFreight.com. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  17. "Οι πόλεις που δεν πηγαίνει σήμερα το τρένο - Ποιες το έχασαν και πού λειτουργεί η τηλεδιοίκηση". Reader (in Greek). 28 February 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  18. "Railway network: Complete restoration in two years". www.ogdoo.gr. Ogdoo Music Group. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  19. "Restoring Thessaly railroad to take at least two years, minister says | eKathimerini.com". www.ekathimerini.com. kathimerini.com. 30 October 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  20. "Δρομολόγια ΤΡΑΙΝΟΣΕ".
  21. "The Pelion Train, a mythical route". Hellenic Train. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  22. TrainOSE S.A. "Timetables 1 August 2009", Tables 4A/B, 5A/B
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