Larissa–Volos railway


The railway from Larissa to Volos is a 60.8-kilometre long railway branch line that connects Larissa with the coastal port city of Volos in Thessaly, Greece. It is the most important railway line of Thessaly after the Athens–Kalambaka line. Its western terminal is Larissa railway station, where there are connections to Athens and Thessaloniki.

Course

The western terminal of the Larissa–Volos line is Larissa railway station in Larissa. It continues to the southeast by passing through Kileler, Armenio and Stefanovikeio, before heading south and reaches Velestino where it meets the former metric line to Kalambaka. The line then advances eastwards from Melissiatika ending at Volos.

Stations

The stations on the Larissa–Volos railway serve are:
Authorise by the Greek government under the law AMH’/22.6.1882. The Larissa–Volos line was inaugurated on 22 April 1884, as part of the Thessaly Railways. The line was designed and led by Italian born, Evaristo De Chirico and banker Theodoros Mavrogordatos, with a metric range and its route was somewhat different from the current one, ie passing through the Quarry of Volos and proceeding to the center of the city, while there was a connecting line Volos in Pelion, which was served by the train of Pelion. Also, in Velestino, from 1884 to 1999, there was a line-to-Kalamaka response. In 1960 the decision was made to turn the line of Larissa - Volos into a regular line to facilitate its response to the station of Larissa via the Athens - Thessaloniki line, and to be able to move normal range trains with more comfort.

Services

The Larissa–Volos railway is used by the following passenger services:
In 2015 TrainOSE proposed expanding the line, by doubling the track with full electrification and installing ETCS systems along the line. On 4 September 2017 OSE announced the project's tendering procedure is under preparation, using the funding: Operational Programme "Transport Infrastructures, Environment and Sustainable Development 2014-2020" with an estimated cost of €60 Μillion. The project is one of 14 such projects, seen as vital for improving rail connectivity across Greece. As of late 2019 the line is under renovation, as part of Phase B’ of the works involving the execution of electrical installation works.