Dilofos railway station

Dilofos railway station (Greek: Σιδηροδρομική Στάση Δίλοφος, romanizedSidirodromiki stasi Dilofos) is a small unstaffed railway station that serves the village of Dikaia, Evros, in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Located just north of the settlement, Today Hellenic Train operates just two daily regional trains[3] to Alexandroupoli and Ormenio.

Δίλοφος
Dilofos
General information
LocationDilofos
Evros
Greece
Coordinates41°41′35″N 26°22′40″E / 41.693184°N 26.377912°E / 41.693184; 26.377912
Owned byGAIAOSE[1]
Line(s)Alexandroupoli–Svilengrad railway[2]
Platforms1
Tracks1
Train operatorsHellenic Train
Bus routesAlexandroupoli Port, Dikaia
Connections
  • Bus interchange Bus
Construction
Structure typeat-grade
Platform levels1
ParkingNo
Bicycle facilitiesNo
Accessible
Other information
StatusUnstaffed
Websitehttps://www.ose.gr/en/
History
ElectrifiedNo[2]
Services
Preceding station Hellenic Train Hellenic Train Following station
Marasia Regional
Alexandroupolis–Ormenio
Dikaia
towards Ormenio
Location
Dilofos is located in Greece
Dilofos
Dilofos
Location within Greece
Map

History

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The railway was an important link during World War I as the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria, and Austria-Hungary were all Central Allies. After the Ottoman Empire's defeat, its remaining imperial possessions were divided. The sections from Alexandroupoli to Svilengrad, except for a short section of about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi)[4] in Turkey serving Edirne Karaagaç station and for 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) between the Greek border and Svilengrad station in Bulgaria[5] come under the control of the French-Hellenic Railway Company (CFFH), a subsidiary of the CO, when the CFFH was incorporated in July 1929.

Under the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, a new border between Greece and Turkey was established at the Evros river, just east of Ftelia railway station, 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 passed through Feres. In Greece, a line was opened to allow trains from Pythio to Bulgaria to stay on Greek territory and avoid Edirne. In 1954 the CFFH was absorbed by the Hellenic State Railways. In 1971, the Hellenic State Railways was reorganised into the OSE[6] taking over responsibilities for most for Greece's rail infrastructure. In the 1990s, OSE introduced the InterCity service to the Alexandroupoli–Svilengrad line[7] Which reduced travel times across the whole line.

in 2017, limited works were carried out at the station, the buildings were painted, and the platform was paved.[8] In 2020 it was announced that the section of line between Pythio and Ormenio was to be upgraded, at the cost of €1.4 million as part of an ambitious integrated intergovernmental transport plan which will see this, and 39 other transport sector projects be built, with financing from the European Commission with a total of €117 million.[9] The package of measures aims to build or improve transport connections and connectivity across Europe, with a focus on sustainable transport. The project for the Pythian-Ormenio section envisions upgrading the existing line infrastructure and trackbed, doubling of the track as well as the installation of electrification signalling (ETCS Level 1) along the entire stretch, with the aim of improving freight transport with Bulgaria and Turkey.[10]

Following the Tempi crash, Hellenic Train announced rail replacement bus's[11] on certain routes across the Greek rail network, starting Wednesday 15th March 2023.[12]

Facilities

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The station is housed in its original station building, however this is now closed. Adjoining it is a later 1970s building that houses a waiting shelter. Beside this, the station has no other facilities. The platform, which is long for this region, has no outside seating, Dot-matrix display departure and arrival screens, nor timetable poster boards for passenger information; the station remains little more than an unstaffed halt.

Services

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As of 2020, the stop is only served by one daily pair of regional trains Alexandroupoli–Ormenio.[citation needed] There are currently no services to Svilengrad.

The station is also severed by a limited number of regional buses: (as of 2024) Alexandroupoli Port 06:10, Dikaia 18:14 and Alexandroupoli Port 19:12.

As of October 2024 all services are run as a rail-replacement bus service.

Line layout

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L
Ground/Concourse
Exits
Level
L1
Side platform, doors will open on the right/left
Platform 1a   towards Alexandroupoli (Marasia)
Platform 1b   towards Ormenio (Dikaia)

References

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  1. ^ "Home". gaiaose.com.
  2. ^ a b "Annexes". Network Statement (PDF) (2023 ed.). Athens: Hellenic Railways Organization. 17 January 2023. pp. 5–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Δρομολόγια ΤΡΑΙΝΟΣΕ".
  4. ^ Modern measurement done on www.Openstreetmap.com indicate 10.2 km
  5. ^ Le Journal des chemins de fer, des mines et des TP, Paris, 29 March 1930 (in French)
  6. ^ Law 674/1971, Government Gazette A-192/1970
  7. ^ "Επειδή τα τραίνα είναι γεμάτα ανθρώπους και ιστορίες και όχι μόνο εισιτήρια και αριθμούς…". 18 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Δίλοφος: Το χωριό των… ανθρακωρύχων στο τριεθνές του Έβρου". EVROS NEWS (in Greek). 11 June 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Αναβαθμίζεται η σιδηροδρομική γραμμή Ορμενίου - Πυθίου". v4.deltatv.gr. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  10. ^ "Upgrading of Ormenio – Alexandroupoli / Frontier with Bulgaria – ΕΡΓΟΣΕ". ergose.gr. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  11. ^ GTP editing team. "Hellenic Train Services Replaced by Bus Routes". GTP. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  12. ^ athens24, athens24 (14 March 2023). "Hellenic Train announces bus routes instead of trains | Athens24.com". www.athens24.com. athens24.com. Retrieved 10 October 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)