16-609: Athens–Lavrion Railway (Σιδηροδρομική Γραμμή Λαυρίου - Αγίων Αναργύρων) was a 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) metre gauge railway line connecting downtown Athens with Eastern Attica and the mining town of Lavrion in Greece. The contract between the Greek government and the Hellenic Company of Lavrion Metallurgies was signed in 1882. The line would be 76 kilometres (47 mi) long, with
32-400: A branch line from Heraklion to Kifissia. A new private company, Attica Railways ( Greek : Σιδηρόδρομοι Αττικής ), was founded to take over the new line. The line from Attiki to Kifissia (a northern suburb) was opened on 2 February 1885 and was later extended further north to Strofyli . The main line to Lavrion was officially opened on 20 June 1885, although the section Keratea–Lavrion
48-525: 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. Small sections of the line survive at various locations. Museum railways of Attica Co. ( Greek : Εταιρεία Μουσειακών Σιδηροδρόμων Αττικής or Greek : ΕΜΣΑ ), a preservation society in the form of a non-for-profit company, maintains two small sections each 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long, one near Kalyvia and one near Keratea. In 2016
64-462: A junction located one kilometre (1,100 yd) beyond Heraklion station, followed by a 90° right curve and ending 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
80-528: A nine-station, 32-kilometre (20 mi) extension of the Athens Suburban Railway beyond Koropi station was announced. The extension to Lavrio will connect 300,000 more people to the rail network at a cost of €350 million. Metre gauge Metre-gauge railways ( US : meter-gauge railways ) are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) or 1 metre . Metre gauge
96-450: Is the old single carriageway road connecting Athens with Thessaloniki and Evzonoi , the border crossing between Greece and North Macedonia . For most of its length, it has been replaced by the new A1 motorway . Ministerial Decision G25871 of 9 July 1963 officially defined the EO1 as a major north-south route between Athens to the south and Evzonoi and the international border with
112-558: Is used in around 95,000 kilometres (59,000 mi) of tracks around the world. It was used by several European colonial powers including France, Britain and Germany in their colonies. In Europe, large metre-gauge networks remain in use in Switzerland, Spain and many European towns with urban trams , but most metre-gauge local railways in France , Germany and Belgium closed down in the mid-20th century, although some still remain. With
128-520: The Attiki 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 crossing the standard gauge line north of Athens Central ("Larissis") station. SPAP took possession of
144-684: The EO2 from Chalkidona to Gefyra. Today, the A1 motorway has absorbed most of EO1's original alignment, although the EO1 continues to run alongside most of the A1 for non-motorway traffic. However, there is a motorway-only gap west of Lake Yliki , requiring non-motorway traffic to detour via Thebes and Aliartos on the EO3. Additionally, the border crossing itself, north of Evzoni, is only open to motorway traffic. The EO1, as created by Ministerial Decision G25871 in 1963,
160-621: 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 Railways company. The passenger service to Lavrion consisted of two trains in each direction per day. The trains were hauled by Tubize 0-6-2T steam locomotives, delivered between 1885 and 1889. Between 1900 and 1925 ten 2-6-0T locomotives were procured in four batches: one from Vassiliadis Works in Piraeus, and
176-471: The former Yugoslavia (now with North Macedonia ) to the north: the decree specified that the EO1 would pass through Decelea , Sfendali [ el ] , Martino , Atalanti , Kamena Vourla , Thermopylae , Lamia , Stylida , Almyros , Velestino , Larissa , Tempe , Katerini , Alexandreia , Chalkidona , Gefyra and Polykastro . The EO1 overlapped with the EO6 from Velestino to Larissa, and with
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#1732775367634192-722: The remaining nine from Krauss in Germany. Two additional Tubize 0-6-2T locomotives were bought from Thessaly Railways in 1919 and were converted to 2-6-2T. In 1926 the lines to Lavrion and Kifissia was taken over by the Electric Transport Company , a member of Power and Traction Finance Company . In 1929 the line from Heraklion to Lavrion was transferred to the Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways (SPAP). Under SPAP operation service to Lavrion departed from Athens Peloponnese Station. SPAP trains initially used
208-603: The revival of urban rail transport, metre-gauge light metros were built in some cities. The slightly-wider 1,009 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 23 ⁄ 32 in ) gauge is used in Sofia . Another similar gauge is 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ). Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano 23,489 km (14,595 mi) Mailani - Nanpara Railway (operating) 641 km (398 mi) Dakar–Niger Railway Greek National Road 1 Greek National Road 1 ( Greek : Εθνική Οδός 1 , abbreviated as EO1 )
224-603: The ten 2-6-0T (Vassiliadis/Krauss) locomotives while the remaining ones were used by IEM for the Attiki–Kifissia–Strofyli service. In 1944 the line was damaged and wasn't reopened until 1952, with three trains in each direction on weekdays and an extra passenger train on weekends. Service was provided by 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
240-787: Was in limited use before that date. In 1889 the line was extended by 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) towards the center of Athens, to a station 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 kilometres (5.7 mi) long, 56.8 kilometres (35.3 mi) from Heraklion to Lavrion, and 7.4 kilometres (4.6 mi) between Heraklion and Strofyli . 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 metres (299 yd)), single-track spur branched off at
256-454: Was similar to the old EO1, which existed by royal decree from 1955 to 1963: however, the old EO1 followed the route of the current EO8 to Elefsina and then the EO3 up to Larissa , and the northernmost destination was Thessaloniki , instead of Polykastro and Evzonoi . Until 1975, the EO1 formed part of the old European route E92 from Athens to Lamia and from Alexandreia to Gefyra ,
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