Didymoteicho railway station

Didymoteicho railway station (Greek: Σιδηροδρομικός Σταθμός Διδυμότειχο, romanized: Sidirodromikós stathmós Didimòteicho) is a railway station that serves the town of Didymoteicho, Evros in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Located 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) northeast of the town centre, the station was opened in 1870 by the Chemins de fer Orientaux, (now part of OSE). Today Hellenic Train operates just 4 daily Regional trains^[3] to Alexandroupoli and Ormenio. The station is unstaffed^[4] however there are waiting rooms available The station lies 900 kilometres (560 mi) from Athens and 400 kilometres (250 mi) from Thessaloniki.^[5]

Διδυμότειχο Didymoteicho
Didymoteicho old railway station buildings, July 2017
General information
Location	Didymoteicho Evros Greece
Coordinates	41°13′01″N 26°18′15″E
Owned by	GAIAOSE[1]
Line(s)	Alexandroupoli–Svilengrad railway[2]
Platforms	3
Tracks	4 (1 disused)
Train operators	Hellenic Train
Construction
Structure type	at-grade
Platform levels	1
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	No
Accessible
Other information
Status	Unstaffed
Website	ose.gr/en/home/
History
Electrified	No[2]
Previous names	Demotika
Services
Preceding station Hellenic Train Following station Psathades towards Alexandroupolis Regional Alexandroupolis–Ormenio Praggion towards Ormenio
Location Didymoteicho Location within Greece

History

The station lies on the line built by the Chemins de fer Orientaux (CO), from Istanbul to Vienna. The railway reached Didymoteicho, known as Demotika during Ottoman rule. In 1873, when the line from Istanbul to Edirne and Bulgaria was opened.^[6] A 112 kilometres (70 mi) 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. After World War I and the subsequent Greek-Turkish War from 1919 to 1922, and finally peace in the form of the Lausanne treaty, the Chemins de fer Orientaux (CO) ended up having a network straddling Turkey and Greece, Didymoteicho became part of Greece and the line administrated by Greece.

In 1920s, the station became part Franco-Hellenic railway.^[7] On 31 December 1970 Hellenic State Railways ceased to exist, the next day all railways in Greece (with the exception of private industrial lines and E.I.S.) were transferred to Hellenic Railways Organisation S.A., a state-owned corporation. In 1986 was created the new railway station of Didymoteicho, was nearby the old station.^[8] In 2009, with the Greek debt crisis unfolding OSE's Management was forced to reduce services across the network. Timetables were cut back, and routes closed as the government-run entity attempted to reduce overheads. Services from Orestiada to Alexandroupoli were cut back to three trains a day, reducing the reliability of services and passenger numbers.

On 13 February 2011, all international services were suspended due to the Greek financial crisis and subsequent budget cuts by the Greek government. As a result, all cross border routes were closed and international services (to Istanbul, Sofia, etc.) ended.^[9] Thus, only two routes now connect Didymoteicho with Thessaloniki and Athens (and those with a connection to Alex / Polis), while route time increased as the network was "upgraded".^[10]

The Greek writer and economist Konstantinos Triantaphyllakis visited the station in his youth to watch the train and the musical antics of the station master.^[11]

The old train station building features as a Print Designed by Hercules Milas^[12]

Facilities

The original station buildings are a beautiful example of late 19th-century railway architecture, but rundown and almost abandoned. A new station complex was built in 1970s adjacent to the original structure, with a ticket office and waiting rooms. As of (2020) the station is unstaffed.

Services

As of 2020^[update], Didymoteicho is only serviced by four daily pairs of Regional trains Alexandroupoli–Ormenio, two of which are express services.^[13]

Between July 2005 and February 2011^[14] 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 Didymoteicho, but did not call at the station.

Station layout

L Ground/Concourse	Customer service	Tickets/Exits
Level Ε1	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Platform 3	In non-regular use
	Island platform, doors open on the right/left
	Platform 1	towards Alexandroupoli (Mandra) ←
	Island platform, doors to the left
	Platform 2	towards Ormenio (Prangio) →

Gallery

• 
  Didymoteicho new railway station new building and platform 1, 2018

References

1. "Home". gaiaose.com.
2. "Annexes". Network Statement (PDF) (2023 ed.). Athens: Hellenic Railways Organization. 17 January 2023. p. 5-6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
3. "Δρομολόγια ΤΡΑΙΝΟΣΕ". Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
4. "Πύθιο: Παρατημένος καταστρέφεται ο πρώτος Σιδηροδρομικός Σταθμός εισόδου στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση". 12 May 2017.
5. "Aέρας Ανατολής στο Διδυμότειχο | Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ". 11 January 2016.
6. "Trains of Turkey website". Archived from the original on 2016-03-31. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
7. Myrtsidis, Diamantis (2021). Η Ιστορία του Σιδηροδρόμου στον Έβρο (The History of Evros Railway) (in greek) (2nd ed.). Nea Vyssa: Myrtsidis. pp. 79–84. ISBN 978-618-00-3174-4.
8. Myrtsidis, Diamantis (2021). Η Ιστορία του Σιδηροδρόμου στον Έβρο (The History of Evros Railway) (in greek) (2nd ed.). Nea Vyssa: Myrtsidis. pp. 117–125. ISBN 978-618-00-3174-4.
9. "Important Greece Train Update". InterRail News. InterRailNet.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
10. "Google Translate". 2 November 2022.
11. "Κ. Τριανταφυλλάκης: "Ο σιδηροδρομικός σταθμός Διδυμοτείχου των παιδικών μου χρόνων"". 13 May 2017.
12. "The old train station of Didymoteicho - Greece Metal Print by Hercules Milas".
13. "Ξεκινούν ξανά τα δρομολόγια τρένου Αλεξανδρούπολη – Ορμένιο – Αλεξανδρούπολη". 31 December 2019.
14. "Δρομολόγια τρένων - ΟΣΕ".