Olympia railway station

Not to be confused with Olympia–Lacey station, Berlin Olympiastadion station, or Kensington (Olympia) station.

Olympia railway station (Greek: Σιδηροδρομικός Σταθμός Ολυμπίας, romanized: Sidirodromikós stathmós Olympia) is a railway station that serves the town of Olympia, Elis in Western Greece, Greece. Located in the centre of Olympia, the station was opened in 1891 by the Pyrgos-Katakolo Railway Company (SPK), (now part of OSE). Today TrainOSE operates 3 daily scheduled Regional trains^[3] to Katakolo, via Pyrgos.^[4][5] The station is unstaffed^[6] however there are waiting rooms available. Olympia station is close to Ancient Olympia.

Ολυμπίας Olympia
The street-oriented facade of the station's building, July 2008
General information
Location	Archaia Olympia 270 65, Elis Greece
Coordinates	37°38′44″N 21°37′35″E / 37.6456076°N 21.6264766°E / 37.6456076; 21.6264766Coordinates: 37°38′44″N 21°37′35″E / 37.6456076°N 21.6264766°E / 37.6456076; 21.6264766
Owned by	GAIAOSE^[1]
Line(s)	Katakolo-Olympia^[2]
Platforms	1 (side platform)
Tracks	2
Train operators	Hellenic Train
Construction
Structure type	at-grade
Platform levels	1
Parking	No
Bicycle facilities	No
Disabled access
Other information
Status	Unstaffed
Website	ose.gr/en
History
Opened	1891
Electrified	No
Services
Preceding station Hellenic Train Following station Koskinas towards Katakolo Regional Terminus
Location
Olympia Location within Greece

History

The station opened in 1891, when the Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways (S.P.A.P.) line was extended to Olympia. In 1951 the S.P.A.P. absorbed the Line. In 1953 the S.P.A.P. itself was absorbed into the Northwestern Greece Railways (SDBE). In 1962 the station became part of the Hellenic State Railways (SEK). In 1970 OSE became the legal successor to the SEK, taking over responsibilities for most of Greece's rail infrastructure^[7] taking over responsibilities for most for Greece's rail infrastructure. On 1 January 1971, the station and most of the Greek rail infrastructure were 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.

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.^[8] In 2005, TrainOSE was created as a brand within OSE to concentrate on rail services and passenger interface. Between 2007 and 2009, the entire rails and cog sections were completely replaced, and four new modern trains were constructed to replace the former carriages.^[9] In 2009, with the Greek debt crisis unfolding OSE's Management, was forced to reduce services across the network.^[10] 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^[11] infrastructure, including stations, remained under the control of OSE. In 2017 the station was refurbished.

Facilities

The station buildings have recently been repaired and upgraded. The signal platform has outside seating but no Dot-matrix display departure and arrival screens or timetable poster boards for passenger information, and the station remains little more than an unstaffed halt.

Services

As of 2020^[update], the station is only served by three daily pairs of regional trains to Katakolo.

Station layout

L Ground/Concourse		Exits
Level L1	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Platform 1	towards Katakolo (Koskinas) →
	Platform 2	towards Katakolo (Koskinas) →
	Side platform, Disused

References

1. "Home". gaiaose.com.
2. "OSE - 2017 Network Statement Annexes".
3. "Δρομολόγια ΤΡΑΙΝΟΣΕ".
4. http://www.trainose.gr/τουρισμός-πολιτισμός/τρένο-και-αναψυχή/θεματικό-τρένο-ολυμπίας/^{[dead link]}
5. TrainOSE, accessed 10 October 2016
6. https://www.evros-news.gr/2017/05/12/πύθιο-παρατημένος-καταστρέφεται-ο-πρ/
7. Law 674/1971, Government Gazette A-192/1970
8. "Home". gaiaose.com.
9. "Diakofto–Kalavryta Railway | Greece Activities". Lonely Planet.
10. "Σιδηροδρομικός σταθμός - Μουσείο τρένων". from the original on 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
11. "It's a new day for TRAINOSE as FS acquires the entirety of the company's shares". ypodomes.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.

External links

• Olympia Station - National Railway Network Greek Travel Pages