Skydra railway station

Σκύδρας Skydra
Edessa station building in January 2018
Location	Leoforos Nikis, Edessa Pella Greece
Coordinates	40°27′38″N 22°05′34″E / 40.46047°N 22.09267°E / 40.46047; 22.09267Coordinates: 40°27′38″N 22°05′34″E / 40.46047°N 22.09267°E / 40.46047; 22.09267
Owned by	OSE
Line(s)	Thessaloniki–Bitola railway[1]
Platforms	4 (1 disused & 1 non-regular use)
Tracks	4
Train operators	TrainOSE
Connections	[1]
Construction
Structure type	at-grade
Platform levels	1
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	No
Disabled access
Other information
Website	http://www.ose.gr/en/
History
Opened	1894
Rebuilt	1916
Electrified	No
Previous names	Vertekop
Services
Preceding station   Proastiakos   Following station toward Thessaloniki Line 2 Edessa toward Florina Preceding station   TrainOSE   Following station toward Thessaloniki Line 2 Edessa toward Florina
Location
Skydra Location within Greece

The Edessa railway station (Greek: Σιδηροδρομικός σταθμός Σκύδρας, romanized: Sidirodromikós stathmós Skydra) is the railway station of Skydra in Central Macedonia, Greece. The station is located near the center of the settlement, on the Thessaloniki–Bitola railway, and is severed by both Local and Proastiakos Services.

History[]

The old Vertekop (Skydra) railway station-1891-1894

Opened in June 1894 as Vertekop railway station (Greek: Σιδηροδρομικός σταθμός Βερτεκόπ, romanized: Sidirodromikós stathmós Vertekop)^[2] in what was then the Ottoman Empire at the completion of the Société du Chemin de Fer ottoman Salonique-Monastir, a branchline of the Chemins de fer Orientaux from Thessaloniki to Bitola. During this period Northern Greece and the southern Balkans where still under Ottoman rule, and Skydras was known as Vertekop. Skydra was annexed by Greece on 18 October 1912 during the First Balkan War. The station building was built in 1916 following a decision of the French headquarters in Thessaloniki, with Serbian soldiers worked on the construction of the building. In May 1918 the station was bombed by the German air force. On 17 October 1925 The Greek government purchased the Greek sections of the former Salonica Monastir railway^[3] and the railway became part of the Hellenic State Railways, with the remaining section north of Florina seeded to Yugoslavia. In 1926 the station along with the settlement was renamed Skydra.^[4] In 1970 OSE became the legal successor to the SEK, taking over responsibilities for most of Greece's rail infrastructure. On 1 January 1971 the station, and most of Greek rail infrastructure where transferred to the Hellenic Railways Organisation S.A., a state-owned corporation. 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. Since 2007, the station is served by the Proastiakos Thessaloniki services to [[New Railway Station. 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 is still housed in the original brick-built station building, however, as of (2020) it is closed and rundown. There is no ticket office or waiting rooms. There is a footbridge over the lines, though passengers can walk across the rails, it is however not wheelchair accessible.

Services[]

As of 2020, the station is served on a daily basis by three InterCity trains between Thessaloniki and Florina and 18 Prostiakos terminating at Edessa.^[6] There are no Services to Bitola as the short international connection is now disused, with all international traffic being routed via Idomeni and Gevgelija.

Station Layout[]

L Ground/Concourse	Customer service	Tickets/Exits
Level L1	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Platform 3	non-regular use
	Island platform, doors will open on the right
	Platform 1	Π2 towards Thessaloniki () ←
	Platform 2	Π2 towards Florina (Edessa) →
	Island platform, doors on the right/left

External links[]

https://www.gtp.gr/TDirectoryDetails.asp?ID=40183&lng=1

References[]

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