Athens–Lavrion Railway
Encyclopedia
Athens–Lavrion Railway was a (metric gauge
) railway line connecting downtown Athens with Eastern Attica
and the mining town of Lavrion
in Greece.
, was founded to take over the new line.
The line from Attiki station
to Kifissia
(a northern suburb) was opened on February 2, 1885 and was later extended further north to Strofyli. The main line to Lavrion was officially opened on June 20, 1885, although the section Keratea–Lavrion was in limited use before that date.
In 1889 the line was extended by 2 km towards the center of Athens, the station being located at Lavrion Square, near Omonoia Square. The section between Lavrion Square and Attica remained in use until 1926, when it was replaced by a tram line
.
The section from Athens (Lavrion Square) to Heraklion
was 9.2 km long, from Heraklion to Lavrion 56.85 km and from Heraklion to Strofyli 7.4 km. All sections were single track, with passing loops at most stations.
The main rolling stock depot and repair workshop were located at Attiki station, with additional facilities at Lavrion.
A short (273 m), single track spur branched off at a junction located 1 km after Heraklion station, followed a 90 degrees right curve and ended at Kalogreza
or Nea Alexandreia station. The branch line was constructed in or just after 1944 and served the local brown coal (lignite) mines of Kalogreza. It was closed in 1957, sharing the fate of Athens–Lavrion railway. There are no visible traces of the tracks left. Another branch line served Cambas Winery at Leontarion (Kantza). In the Lavrion mining area the line connected with the industrial networks of the two mining companies.
In 1910 Attica Railways were taken over by the Hellenic Electric Company.
in Piraeus and the remaining nine from Krauss
in Germany. Two additional old Tubize 0-6-2T locomotives were bought from Thessaly Railways
in 1919 and were converted to 2-6-2T.
or SPAP.
When the railway was operated by SPAP trains to Lavrion departed from Athens Peloponnese Station. SPAP trains initially used the Attiki station
to Heraklion
section without stopping at intermediate stations until 1931, when SPAP constructed a line from the station of Kato Liossia (later Agioi Anargyroi) to Heraklion. Between 1929 and 1931 SPAP trains would access the Lavrion line at Attiki station using a temporary short connection passing over the standard gauge line north of Athens Central ("Larissis") station.
SPAP took possession of the ten 2-6-0T (Vassiliadis/Krauss) locomotives while the remaining were used by IEM for the Attiki–Kifissia–Strofyli service.
In 1944 the line was damaged and was reopened only in 1952, with three trains in each direction on weekdays and an extra passenger train on weekends. Passenger trains consisted of Uerdingen/MAN railbuses. Freight trains still used steam traction.
The line was closed to passenger traffic in 1957, due to political lobbying by private bus owners. Limited freight and special passenger trains ran for a few more years. In 1962 the connection between Kato Liosia and Heraklion was severed due to the construction of the new Athens–Thessaloniki highway and the line was abandoned.
Metre gauge
Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...
) railway line connecting downtown Athens with Eastern Attica
Attica
Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...
and the mining town of Lavrion
Laurium
Laurium or Lavrio is a town in southeastern part of Attica, Greece. It is the seat of the municipality of Lavreotiki...
in Greece.
Attica Railways (1882–1926)
The contract between the Greek government and the Hellenic Company of Lavrion Metallurgies was signed in 1882. The line would be 76 km long, with a branch line from Heraklion to Kifissia. A new company, Attica RailwaysAttica Railways
Attica Railways was a railway company which operated a metre gauge railway system in Attica, Greece.The contract between the Greek government and the Hellenic Company of Lavrion Metallurgies was signed in 1882...
, was founded to take over the new line.
The line from Attiki station
Attiki station
Attiki station is a railway station in Athens, Greece. The station opened in 1885. It was the main hub of Attica Railways, a metre gauge network connecting donwtown Athens with the mining town of Lavrion and the northern suburbs of Marousi and Kifissia...
to Kifissia
Kifissia station
The Kifissia or Kifisia station, is an ISAP train station in Kifissia, Greece and is also the northermost station. The station is situated several kilometres north of Athens and is marked at the 25.655 km from the starting point in Piraeus...
(a northern suburb) was opened on February 2, 1885 and was later extended further north to Strofyli. The main line to Lavrion was officially opened on June 20, 1885, although the section Keratea–Lavrion was in limited use before that date.
In 1889 the line was extended by 2 km towards the center of Athens, the station being located at Lavrion Square, near Omonoia Square. The section between Lavrion Square and Attica remained in use until 1926, when it was replaced by a tram line
Athens Tram
The Athens Tram is public tram network system serving Athens. It is constructed, owned and operated by Tram S.A. , subsidiary company of Attiko Metro S.A. ....
.
The section from Athens (Lavrion Square) to Heraklion
Heraklio station
The Heraklio station is an ISAP train station in Irakleio, Attica, Greece, a suburb to the north of Athens. It is marked at the 19,246 km from the starting point in Piraeus....
was 9.2 km long, from Heraklion to Lavrion 56.85 km and from Heraklion to Strofyli 7.4 km. All sections were single track, with passing loops at most stations.
The main rolling stock depot and repair workshop were located at Attiki station, with additional facilities at Lavrion.
A short (273 m), single track spur branched off at a junction located 1 km after Heraklion station, followed a 90 degrees right curve and ended at Kalogreza
Kalogreza Railroad Station
The Kalogreza station, was a station of SPAP in Kalogreza in Nea Ionia next to the boundary with Maroussi, Greece, and is also the northernmost station. The station was constructed for the use of lignite production and its trucks from Kalogreza. The station opened after 1944 and closed in 1957...
or Nea Alexandreia station. The branch line was constructed in or just after 1944 and served the local brown coal (lignite) mines of Kalogreza. It was closed in 1957, sharing the fate of Athens–Lavrion railway. There are no visible traces of the tracks left. Another branch line served Cambas Winery at Leontarion (Kantza). In the Lavrion mining area the line connected with the industrial networks of the two mining companies.
In 1910 Attica Railways were taken over by the Hellenic Electric Company.
Rolling stock
The passenger service to Lavrion consisted of 2 trains in each direction per day. The trains were hauled by Tubize 0-6-2T steam locomotives, delivered between 1885 and 1889. Later (1900–1925) ten 2-6-0T locomotives were procurred in four batches, one of them from Vassiliadis WorksBasileiades
Basileiades is one of the most historic Greek machine building companies and the largest in its field in the country during the second half of the 19th century...
in Piraeus and the remaining nine from Krauss
Krauss-Maffei
The Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co KG or simply Krauss-Maffei is an injection molding machine manufacturer and defence company based in Munich, Germany...
in Germany. Two additional old Tubize 0-6-2T locomotives were bought from Thessaly Railways
Thessaly Railways
Thessaly Railways was a railway company in Greece, which owned and operated the metre gauge railway network of Thessaly and Pelion railway from 1884 to 1955, when the company was absorbed by the Hellenic State Railways...
in 1919 and were converted to 2-6-2T.
Part of Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways (1929–1962)
In 1926 the lines to Lavrion and Kifissia was taken over by the Electric Transport Company, member of Power and Traction Finance Company. In 1929 the line from Heraklion to Lavrion was transferred to Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese RailwaysPiraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways
Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways or SPAP was a Greek railway company founded in 1882, which owned and operated the line connecting Piraeus and Athens to Peloponnese. The company was nationalized in 1954 and absorbed by the Hellenic State Railways in 1962.-History:The first line section...
or SPAP.
When the railway was operated by SPAP trains to Lavrion departed from Athens Peloponnese Station. SPAP trains initially used the Attiki station
Attiki station
Attiki station is a railway station in Athens, Greece. The station opened in 1885. It was the main hub of Attica Railways, a metre gauge network connecting donwtown Athens with the mining town of Lavrion and the northern suburbs of Marousi and Kifissia...
to Heraklion
Heraklio station
The Heraklio station is an ISAP train station in Irakleio, Attica, Greece, a suburb to the north of Athens. It is marked at the 19,246 km from the starting point in Piraeus....
section without stopping at intermediate stations until 1931, when SPAP constructed a line from the station of Kato Liossia (later Agioi Anargyroi) to Heraklion. Between 1929 and 1931 SPAP trains would access the Lavrion line at Attiki station using a temporary short connection passing over the standard gauge line north of Athens Central ("Larissis") station.
SPAP took possession of the ten 2-6-0T (Vassiliadis/Krauss) locomotives while the remaining were used by IEM for the Attiki–Kifissia–Strofyli service.
In 1944 the line was damaged and was reopened only in 1952, with three trains in each direction on weekdays and an extra passenger train on weekends. Passenger trains consisted of Uerdingen/MAN railbuses. Freight trains still used steam traction.
The line was closed to passenger traffic in 1957, due to political lobbying by private bus owners. Limited freight and special passenger trains ran for a few more years. In 1962 the connection between Kato Liosia and Heraklion was severed due to the construction of the new Athens–Thessaloniki highway and the line was abandoned.
Preservation
Small sections of the line survive at various locations. Museum railways of Attica Co. ( or ΕΜΣΑ) , a preservation society in the form of a non-for-profit company, maintains two small sections of 3 km each, one near Kalyvia and one near Keratea.See also
- Lavrion Square-Strofyli railway
- Attica RailwaysAttica RailwaysAttica Railways was a railway company which operated a metre gauge railway system in Attica, Greece.The contract between the Greek government and the Hellenic Company of Lavrion Metallurgies was signed in 1882...
- Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese RailwaysPiraeus, Athens and Peloponnese RailwaysPiraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways or SPAP was a Greek railway company founded in 1882, which owned and operated the line connecting Piraeus and Athens to Peloponnese. The company was nationalized in 1954 and absorbed by the Hellenic State Railways in 1962.-History:The first line section...