Pythio railway station

Πύθιο Pythio
A class DE24000 SMTE-ELMS diesel locomotive of the TCDD with an Istanbul - Pithion - Istanbul passenger service and an ADtranz locomotive of the OSE at Pithio station (March 2007)
Location	Pythio Evros Greece
Coordinates	41°22′13″N 26°37′19″E / 41.370331°N 26.621835°E / 41.370331; 26.621835Coordinates: 41°22′13″N 26°37′19″E / 41.370331°N 26.621835°E / 41.370331; 26.621835
Owned by	OSE
Line(s)	Regional Alexandroupoli–Svilengrad railway[1] Istanbul–Pythio railway
Platforms	3
Tracks	5 (2 disused)
Train operators	TrainOSE
Construction
Structure type	at-grade
Platform levels	1
Bicycle facilities	No
Disabled access
Other information
Status	Unstaffed
Website	http://www.ose.gr/en/
History
Electrified	No
Previous names	Kuleliburgaz
Services
Preceding station   TrainOSE   Following station toward Alexandroupoli Regional toward Ormenio   Former service   Preceding station   TrainOSE   Following station Alexandroupoli toward Thessaloniki Friendship Express Uzunköprü toward Istanbul
Location
Pythio Location within Greece

Pythio railway station (Greek: Σιδηροδρομικός Σταθμός Πυθίου, romanized: Sidirodromikós stathmós Pythíou) is a railway station and junction where the railway to Ormenio and Bulgaria branches off the main line from Thessaloniki to Istanbul through Alexandroupoli and Uzunköprü, that serves the village of Pythio, Evros in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Located southeast of the village of Pythio, it is unmanned,^[2] however there are waiting rooms available, if in a dilapidated state.^[3] The station is the final stop in Greece before crossing the border into Turkey.^[4] There is another railway stop closer to the village, Στάση Πυθίου ("Pythio halt").

History[]

The station lies on the line, built by the Chemins de fer Orientaux (CO), from Istanbul to Vienna. The railway reached Pythio, known as Kuleliburgaz during Ottoman rule,^[5] in 1873, when the line from Istanbul to Edirne and Bulgaria was opened.^[6] A 112 km branch from Pythio to Alexandroupoli (then known as Dedeağaç) was opened in 1874.

When the railway was built it was all within the Ottoman Empire. During World War I the railway was an important link as the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary were all Central Allies. On 14 December 1916 Allied aeroplanes bombed the bridge over the river Evros near Pythio (Kuleliburgaz).^[7] Under the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, a new border between Greece and Turkey was established at the Evros river, just east of Pythio, which had the result that the railway from Istanbul to Bulgaria entered Greece at Pythio, then re-entered Turkey at Edirne (Karaağaç railway station), re-entered Greece at Marasia, and finally entered Bulgaria between Ormenio and Svilengrad. This arrangement continued until 1971, when two new lines were opened. In Turkey the Edirne Cut-off was opened to allow trains from Istanbul to Bulgaria to run through Edirne entirely on Turkish territory, so that trains such as the Orient Express no longer had to stop at Pythio. In Greece a line was opened to allow trains from Pythio to Bulgaria to stay on Greek territory and avoid Edirne.

Facilities[]

The station buildings are a beautiful example of late 19th century railway architecture, but rundown and almost abandoned.^[8] Inside the waiting rooms are barely usable and the station is unstaffed.

Services[]

Pythio is the first European Union railway station for trains coming from Turkey and carrying passengers from the East.^[9] As of 2020, the station is only served by two daily pairs of regional trains Alexandroupoli–Ormenio.^[10]

Between July 2005 and February 2011 the Friendship Express (an international InterCity train jointly operated by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) and TrainOSE linking Istanbul's Sirkeci Terminal, Turkey and Thessaloniki, Greece) passed through Pythio, with trains changing locomotives and crew at the station.

References[]