Velestino railway station (Greek: Σιδηροδρομικός Σταθμός Βελεστίνου, romanized: Sidirodromikos Stathmos Velestino) is a railway station in Velestino in Thessaly, Greece. It is located outside the settlement. The station lies 17 km (11 mi) west of Volos and 40 km southeast of Larissa.

Βελεστίνου Velestino
A charter service with preserved metric DMU-2 trainset 4201 (formerly 2AK420.01 of Piraeus-Athens-Peloponnese railways) at Velestino station, Date Unknown.
General information
Location	Velestino Magnesia Greece
Coordinates	39°23′24″N 22°45′35″E
Owned by	GAIAOSE[1]
Line(s)	Regional Larissa–Volos railway[2]
Platforms	2
Train operators	Hellenic Train
Construction
Structure type	at-grade
Disabled access
Other information
Website	http://www.ose.gr/en/
History
Opened	22 April 1884
Electrified	No
Services
Preceding station Hellenic Train Following station Stefanovikeio towards Larissa Regional Volos Terminus Former service Preceding station Thessaly Railways Following station Agia Georgios towards Volos Volos–Kalambaka Velestinon town towards Kalambaka Volos–Larissa Rizomylos towards Larissa
Location
Velestino, Thessaly Location within Greece

History

The station was opened on 22 April 1884 by the Thessaly Railways (now part of OSE). The line was designed by the Italian Evaristo de Chirico, (father of Giorgio de Chirico) soon after the liberation of Central Greece from the Ottomans. In 1960 the line from Larissa to Volos was converted to standard gauge and connected at Larissa with the mainline from Athens to Thessaloniki, allowing OSE to run through services to Volos from Athens and Thessaloniki. In 1955 Thessaly Railways was absorbed into Hellenic State Railways (SEK).[3] In 1960 the line from Larissa to Volos was converted to standard gauge and connected though Larissa to the mainline from Athens to Thessaloniki, allowing OSE to run through services to Volos from Athens and Thessaloniki. Volos station was converted to dual gauge, in order to accommodate trains of the two branches. Parts of the station and the track towards the city center were at this period of a unique triple-gauge system: standard gauge for Larissa trains, metre gauge for Kalambaka trains and 600 mm gauge for Pellon trains. In 1970 OSE became the legal successor to the SEK, taking over responsibilities for most of Greece's rail infrastructure.

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.[4] 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 cutback and routes closed, as the government-run entity attempted to reduce overheads. In 2017 OSE's passenger transport sector was privatised as TrainOSE, currently, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane[5] infrastructure, including stations, remained under the control of OSE.

Facilities

The station has waiting rooms, and toilets.

Services

Today, the town is served by direct lines to the rest of Greece, via Larissa is directly linked with Athens once per day, with Thessaloniki twice per day, and with Larissa 15 times a day. There is also a direct service to Volos and the ferry's.

The station was also the starting point on the Velestino-Kalampaka line until the line closed in 1999.

References

External links

• Velestino Station - National Railway Network Greek Travel Pages