The railway from Thessaloniki to Bitola is a long
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...
line, that connects the port city
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...
with
Bitola
Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba (North Macedonia), Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of th ...
in the
Republic of North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
, via
Veroia
Veria ( el, Βέροια or Βέρροια), officially transliterated Veroia, historically also spelled Berea or Berœa, is a city in Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the regional unit of ...
,
Edessa
Edessa (; grc, Ἔδεσσα, Édessa) was an ancient city ('' polis'') in Upper Mesopotamia, founded during the Hellenistic period by King Seleucus I Nicator (), founder of the Seleucid Empire. It later became capital of the Kingdom of Os ...
,
Amyntaio
Amyntaio ( el, Αμύνταιο, before 1928: Σόροβιτς - ''Sorovits''; Bulgarian/Macedonian: Суровичево, Сорович), is a town and municipality in the Florina regional unit of Macedonia, Greece. The population of Amyntaio pr ...
and
Florina
Florina ( el, Φλώρινα, ''Flórina''; known also by some alternative names) is a town and municipality in the mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'.
The town of Florina is the capital of the Fl ...
. The line was opened in 1894 under the name "Société du Chemin de Fer ottoman Salonique-Monastir", when the area was part of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. The section between the international border and Bitola is not used anymore, and passenger services are restricted to the section between Thessaloniki and Florina. The easternmost section of the line,
Platy–Thessaloniki, is part of the important connection towards Athens and Northern Greece.
History
The idea of a trans-Macedonian railway had existed since the 1850s when, in January 1859, a Memorandum regarding the construction of the
Salonica
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region ...
–
Monastir (today's Bitola) line was signed.
It, however, wasn't until 28 October 1890 that the
Ottoman Sublime Porte
The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( ota, باب عالی, Bāb-ı Ālī or ''Babıali'', from ar, باب, bāb, gate and , , ), was a synecdoche for the central government of the Ottoman Empire.
History
The nam ...
gave
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG (), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Sto ...
a concession to build the railway as a branch line of the
Oriental Railways and to possibly further extend it to an Albanian port.
"Société du Chemin de Fer ottoman Salonique-Monastir" was set up as an Ottoman company and its headquarters were in Constantinople. The construction works started in May 1891 and were completed in June 1894. Upon completion, the line operations were given to the
Chemins de fer Orientaux
The Chemins de fer Orientaux ( English: ''Oriental Railway''; Turkish: ''Rumeli Demiryolu'' or ''İstanbul-Viyana Demiryolu'') (reporting mark: CO) was an Ottoman railway company operating in Rumelia (the European part of the Ottoman Empire, c ...
, which were already operating the Salonique to Mitrovica and Vranje railways. Weather Baron
Maurice de Hirsch took an active role in this railway is debatable considering he retired from the Balkan railway building shortly before this project began.
While at that time, the practice of compulsory work was still in use, labour was cheap in rural Macedonia, and the engineers were reported to be enthusiastically welcomed.
After the end of
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...
in 1913, the line ended fully in Greek territory, except for the last 17 km to Monastir, which ended up in
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...
. The Greek government purchased the Greek part Salonica Monastir railway on 17 October 1925, and the railway became part of the
Hellenic State Railways.
Locomotives
Locomotives of the Salonic Monastir Railway
Course
The eastern terminus of the Thessaloniki–Bitola railway is the
New Railway Station, Thessaloniki. Leaving the Athens–Thessaloniki mainline at
Platy, it runs alongside the
Aliakmon River, through
Alexandreia and then passes through to Veroia,
Naousa, and
Skydra, before climbing to Edessa and then, along the northern shore of Lake Vegoritida, reaching
Amyntaio
Amyntaio ( el, Αμύνταιο, before 1928: Σόροβιτς - ''Sorovits''; Bulgarian/Macedonian: Суровичево, Сорович), is a town and municipality in the Florina regional unit of Macedonia, Greece. The population of Amyntaio pr ...
. At Amyntaio the
Kozani–Amyntaio railway
The Kozani–Amyntaio railway line is a ( standard gauge) long railway line of OSE connecting Kozani and Amyntaio in Greece. The line has been close to passengers since 2010.
Course
The western terminus of the Kozani–Amyntaio railway is the ...
branches off towards
Kozani
Kozani ( el, Κοζάνη, ) is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani (regional unit), Kozani regional unit and of Western Macedonia. It is located in the western part of Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmona ...
, serving
Ptolemaida
Ptolemaida ( el, Πτολεμαΐδα, Ptolemaïda, Katharevousa: Πτολεμαΐς, ''Ptolemaïs'') is a town and a former municipality in Kozani regional unit, Western Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of th ...
and the power stations of the national power company
ΔΕΗ. The main line continues towards the city of Florina. At
Neos Kafkasos, the international border is crossed, and after 219 km the city of
Bitola
Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba (North Macedonia), Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of th ...
in the
Republic of North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
is reached. This short international connection is now disused, with all international traffic being routed via
Idomeni
Idomeni or Eidomene ( el, Ειδομένη, ) is a small village in Greece, near the border with North Macedonia. The village is located in the municipality of Paeonia, Kilkis regional unit of Central Macedonia (Greece).
The village is built a ...
and
Gevgelija
Gevgelija ( mk, Гевгелија; ) is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of the North Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with Greece (Bogorodica- Evzoni), the poin ...
.
Main stations
The main stations on the Thessaloniki–Bitola railway are:
*
New Railway Station, Thessaloniki
*
Platy railway station
*
Veroia railway station
*
Edessa railway station
*
Amyntaio railway station
Amyntaio ( el, Αμύνταιο, before 1928: Σόροβιτς - ''Sorovits''; Bulgarian/Macedonian: Суровичево, Сорович), is a town and municipality in the Florina regional unit of Macedonia, Greece. The population of Amyntaio pr ...
*
Florina railway station
*
Bitola railway station
Bitola railway station ( mk, Железничка станица во Битола, Železnička stanica vo Bitola) is the railway station of Bitola in Pelagonia, North Macedonia.
History
The station opened in 1891, in what was then the Ottoman Em ...
Services
The Thessaloniki–Bitola railway is used by the following passenger services:
*Intercity, Express and Regular services Athens–Thessaloniki and Thessaloniki–Kalampaka
*Local services Thessaloniki–Florina and Thessaloniki–Larissa
[
]
Gallery
File:Alexandreia, Imathia.jpg, Alexandria railway station
File:Σιδηροδρομικός σταθμός Σκύδρα (1).jpg, Skydra railway station
The Skydra railway station ( el, Σιδηροδρομικός σταθμός Σκύδρας, Sidirodromikós stathmós Skydra) is the railway station of Skydra in Central Macedonia, Greece. The station is located near the center of the settleme ...
File:Vladovo-Agras-Railway station.jpg, Agra railway station
Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra ...
File:RS Amyntaio.jpg, Amyntaio railway station
Amyntaio ( el, Αμύνταιο, before 1928: Σόροβιτς - ''Sorovits''; Bulgarian/Macedonian: Суровичево, Сорович), is a town and municipality in the Florina regional unit of Macedonia, Greece. The population of Amyntaio pr ...
File:Florina Railway Station.jpg, Florina railway station
See also
* Chemins de fer Orientaux
The Chemins de fer Orientaux ( English: ''Oriental Railway''; Turkish: ''Rumeli Demiryolu'' or ''İstanbul-Viyana Demiryolu'') (reporting mark: CO) was an Ottoman railway company operating in Rumelia (the European part of the Ottoman Empire, c ...
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thessaloniki-Bitola railway
Railway lines in Greece
Railway lines in North Macedonia
Rail transport in North Macedonia
Standard gauge railways in Greece
Ottoman railways