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Native name | Σιδηρόδρομοι Ελλάδος |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Predecessor | Hellenic Railways Organisation ERGOSE GAIAOSE |
| Founded | 30 August 2025[1] |
| Headquarters | , Greece |
Area served | Greece |
Key people | George Ioannou (President BoD)[2] Christos Palios (CEO BoD)[3] |
| Parent | Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund |
Hellenic Railways S.A. (Greek: Σιδηρόδρομοι Ελλάδος Μονοπρόσωπη Ανώνυμη Εταιρεία) is a national railway company which owns, maintains and operates all railway infrastructure in Hellenic Republic with the exception of Athens Metro lines.
The company is exclusively responsible for the growth and maintenance of the railway network and of the rolling stock of the state.
History
Hellenic Railways was established in August 2025 from the merger by the Government of Greece of infrastructure manager Hellenic Railways Organisation, project delivery subsidiary ERGOSE, and property and rolling stock company GAIAOSE. It was established in response to the Tempi train crash.[4][5][6]
Existing conditions the need to establish a new entity (2023)
For many decades, the predecessor of Hellenic Railways, OSE, faced serious financial problems with accumulated debts and extensive bureaucratic inefficiency, while at the same time the lack of progress in project completion made the situation of the Greek railway particularly damaging for all involved parties.[7]
At first, the operational inadequacy was addressed through the fragmentation of OSE’s responsibilities into successive business entities such as ERGOSE and GAIAOSE. However, the economic crisis and the internal administrative stagnation of the new structure did not yield the expected results, leading to further deterioration of the organization’s financial performance, the suspension of many parts of the network, and the decommissioning of a large part of the rolling stock.[8]
In recent years, a series of railway accidents and serious incidents have revealed major deficiencies in modern operating and safety systems, such as signaling, remote control, communications, and traffic monitoring. At the same time, staff reductions, the inability to hire personnel in critical specialties, and the accumulation of external debt rendered the organization unsustainable.[9]
Moreover, the lack of clarity in responsibilities among OSE, ERGOSE, RAS, and other bodies, the failure of coordinated management, as well as repeated warnings from the European Commission regarding insufficient compliance with European railway directives, strengthened the need for institutional reorganization. A decisive factor was the deadly Tempi train crash in 2023, which exposed serious systemic failures in key areas of prevention and control.[8]
Within this framework, the establishment of the company Hellenic Railways Single-Member S.A. came as a necessary response for the radical redesign of the railway sector, with emphasis on safety, flexibility, transparency, and compliance with European standards.[9] The establishment of SE was enacted into law on December 20, 2024, with effect from January 1, 2025.[10][11][12]
Railway management Organisation
The Board of Directors[13] of the newly formed Greek Railways includes:
- George Ioannou – President[14]
- Christos Palios – CEO[15]
- Chrysa (Kristi) Agapitou – Vice President
- Evangelos Christogiannis – Deputy CEO
- Athanasios Staveris – Board Member
- Katerina Demerouti – Board Member
- Marios Boboulos – Board Member
The new entity assumes control over the state-owned railway infrastructure, while licensed companies continue to operate passenger and freight services on the network.
Railway management network
The Hellenic Railways manage the entirety of the Greek railway infrastructure (lines and facilities), which is made available for use and operation by third-party railway companies (Hellenic Train, Urban Rail Transport, Levante Trains, Goldair Rail, Grup Feroviar Roman Hellas, and PEARL), while they are also responsible for ensuring the integrity of the network. The Greek railway network consists of 2,812.15 kilometers, of which currently less than 1,500 kilometers are available for passenger and freight use.[16][17]
Standard Gauge Railway Axes
The standard-gauge lines constitute the main infrastructure of the country’s railway network and are partially electrified.
| Line | Type of line | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piraeus–Thessaloniki | Double–electrified | In operation | (temporarily: single track on the Domokos – Larisa section |
| Athens Airport–Patras | Double–electrified | In operation | |
| Kiato-Aigio | Double | In operation | (electrification installation in the 4th quarter of 2025) |
| Oinoi–Chalcis | Single–electrified | In operation | |
| Thessaloniki - Idomenis (borders) | Single–electrified | In operation | (temporarily: freight-only line) |
| Thriasio - Neo Ikonio | Single | In operation | (freight-only line) |
| Tithorea - Mpralos - Lianokladi | Single | Suspended (out of service) | (no passenger or freight service since 03/2023) |
| Lianokladi - Lamia - Stylida | Single | Suspended (out of service) | (no passenger or freight service since 01/2021) |
| Thessaloniki - Florina | Single | In operation | (the Edessa – Florina section is awaiting a safety certificate from RAS) |
| Thessaloniki – Alexandroupolis | Single | In operation (partly) | (the Serres – Alexandroupoli section is temporarily a freight-only line) |
| Strymonas - Promachonas (borders) | Single | In operation | (temporarily: freight-only line) |
| Alexandroupolis–Ormenio (borders) | Single | In operation | (full restoration and upgrade expected, including infrastructure, superstructure, electrification, telecommunications, level crossings, and ERTMS works) |
| Aigio - Rio | Double–electrified | Under construction | (new alignment) |
| Single–electrified | Under construction | (standardization and electrification of the old metric line) | |
| Ano Liosia - Megara | Single–electrified | Under construction | (coastal alignment following the route of the old metric line) |
| Palaiofarsalos - Kalambaka | Single–electrified | Under construction | (restoration from damages with addition of electrification, new level crossings, and ETCS Level 1) |
| Larissa–Volos | Single–electrified | Under construction | (restoration from damages with addition of electrification, new level crossings, and ETCS Level 1) |
| Polikastro - Eidomeni (variant) | Single–electrified | Under construction | (temporarily: freight-only line) |
| Nea Karvali - Toxotes Xanthis | Single | Under tendering process | (temporarily: freight-only line) |
| Kozani–Amyntaio | Single | Suspended (out of service) | (line disconnected at the AEBAL – Pontokomi section) |
| Mesonisi - Neos Kafkasos (borders) | Single | Suspended (out of service) | (temporarily: freight-only line) |
| Korinos - Aiginio | Single | Out of network | (section of the old alignment of the Piraeus – Thessaloniki railway line) |
| Neoi Poroi - Platamonas | Single | Out of network | (section of the old alignment of the Piraeus – Thessaloniki railway line) |
| Tempi - Rapsani | Single | Out of network | (section of the old alignment of the Piraeus – Thessaloniki railway line) |
| Lianokladi - Domokos | Single | Out of network | (section of the old alignment of the Piraeus – Thessaloniki railway line) |
| Agios Dionysios Piraeus - Agios Ioannis Rentis | Single | Out of network | (section of the old alignment of the Piraeus – Thessaloniki railway line) |
References
- ↑ Koukos, Ilias (30 August 2025). "Tέλος εποχής για τον ΟΣΕ – Παρουσιάστηκε η Διοίκηση της «Σιδηρόδρομοι Ελλάδος Α.Ε.»" [End of an era for OSE – the management of Greek Railways S.A. was presented]. ERT News (in Greek). Athens: ERT. Archived from the original on 28 September 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ↑ Cech, Lubomir (4 September 2025). "3 Greek companies merge to create Greek Railways". RAILMARKET.com. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ↑ Cech, Lubomir (4 September 2025). "3 Greek companies merge to create Greek Railways". RAILMARKET.com. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ↑ Tempi accident report exposes Greek railway safety failures Railway Gazette International 28 February 2025
- ↑ Greek Railways Formed Through Merger of OSE, ERGOSE, and GAIAOSE Railmarket 4 September 2025
- ↑ Greek Railways formed in major restructuring International Railway Journal 12 September 2025
- ↑ "ΟΣΕ: Έξι χρόνια αδιαφορίας | inside story". insidestory.gr (in Greek). 2024-10-08. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
- 1 2 Χεκιμογλου*, Αχιλλεας (2023-03-06). "Τα φαντάσματα του ΟΣΕ". Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-12-31.
- 1 2 "Τι φταίει για τη διαχρονική αποτυχία του ΟΣΕ | Liberal.gr". www.liberal.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-12-31.
- ↑ Newsroom (2024-12-20). "Κατά πλειοψηφία ψηφίστηκε το νομοσχέδιο για τον σιδηρόδρομο". Ypodomes.com (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-12-31.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ↑ vvegiazi (2024-12-20). "Ψηφίστηκε κατά πλειοψηφία από τη Βουλή το σχ.ν. για την αναδιάρθρωση σιδηροδρομικού τομέα. Τα όσα ειπώθηκαν". Metaforespress (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-12-31.
- ↑ "Φ.Ε.Κ. - Εθνικό Τυπογραφείο". National Printing House (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-12-31.
- ↑ Cech, Lubomir (4 September 2025). "3 Greek companies merge to create Greek Railways". RAILMARKET.com. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ↑ Cech, Lubomir (4 September 2025). "3 Greek companies merge to create Greek Railways". RAILMARKET.com. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ↑ Cech, Lubomir (4 September 2025). "3 Greek companies merge to create Greek Railways". RAILMARKET.com. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ↑ "Δήλωση Δικτύου ΟΣΕ - 2024" (PDF). Οργανισμός Σιδηροδρόμων Ελλάδος. ΟΣΕ.[dead link]
- ↑ Καραγιάννης, Νίκος (2025-06-11). "Υπερταμείο: σύντομα οι πρώτοι διαγωνισμοί για σιδηροδρομικά έργα". Ypodomes.com (in Greek). Retrieved 2025-06-23.