RAILWAY LINE ALEXANDROUPOLIS - ADRIANOPLE

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RAILWAY LINE ALEXANDROUPOLIS - ADRIANOPLE: The first serious attempt to create a railway network in the southern Balkan territories, occupied by the Ottoman Empire, was made with the signing of a contract on 17 April 1869 between the Minister of Public Works Davut Pasha and Baron Maurice de Hirsch, who founded the company Societe Imperiale des Societe Imperiale des Chemins de Fer de la Turquie d' Europe. This company had as a project the construction of the network alone, while the operation would be undertaken by the company of the Austrian Railways of the South. The priority lines to be built were: Constantinople (Istanbul) - Adrianople (Edirne) 319 km long, Adrianople - Serabey 243 km long, Adrianople - Alexandroupolis length 149 km, Thessaloniki - Skopje length 243 km and Banja Luka - Bosanski Novi 102 km long. In June 1872, the Alexandroupolis - Adrianople section was put into operation. The operation of the above networks was not undertaken by the Austrian company, but by a new company, set up by Hirsch, which replaced his predecessor, called Compagnie Generale d' Exploitation des Chemins de Fer de la Turquie d' Europe (General Company for the Exploitation of Railways of the European Turkey). In 1879 the exploitation was undertaken by a new company of Hirsch, the Compagnie d' Exploitation des Chemins de Fer Orientaux (C.O.). With the end of the First Balkan War and the Treaty of London on 30 May 1913, the line fell into Bulgarian territory, but continued to be the property of the C.O. The Treaty of Lausanne, 24 July 1923 established the borders between Greece and Turkey, leaving the line on the Greek side, except for a small part in the Karagats region, which together with Adrianople they belonged to Turkey. The treaty also provided for the division of the Line Constantinople - Svilengrad, the Greek one with its seat in Alexandroupolis and the Turkish one based in Constantinople. Finally, in 1929, the company Compagnie Franco-Hellenique de Chemin de Fer C.F.F.H. (French-Greek Railway Company GES) was founded, which took over the Greek part of the line. On 7 May 1954, the Greek State acquired the line, which is part of the operation of Sidirodromi Ellinikou Kratous SEK (Hellenic State Railways). Nevertheless, the Treaty of Lausanne left a pendulum between the two countries. The train from Constantinople to Bulgaria passed through the railway bridge of Evros at the land of Pithion and heading north, near to Nea Vissa, passed to the Turkish part (west of the Evros River), parked at the station of Adrianople (old station) and then near of the village of Marasia returned to Greek territory, to go to the Greek-Bulgarian border (Svilengrad station). The corresponding issue existed with the Greek train, which had a route Alexandroupolis - Ormenio (through Adrianople). Even the Orient Express followed this peculiar route. In September 1971, Turkey operates a parallel line east of the Evros River, which passes through the new station of Adrianople (within the city) towards the Turkish-Bulgarian border. Similarly, in Greece, on 2 November 1975 , the Nea Vissa - Marasia section was put into operation, when the train ceases to pass through Turkey (in the following years the line was dismantled). The only connection with Turkey, which remains, is the railway bridge of Pithion. Today the kilometer numbering of the stations starts from the station of Thessaloniki.

 

RAILWAY LINE ALEXANDROUPOLIS - ADRIANOPLE

RAILWAY LINE NEA VISSA - MARASIA

 

STATIONS - STOPS OF RAILWAY LINE ALEXANDROUPOLIS - ADRIANOPLE

Alexandroupolis Port (Limin)

Alexandroupolis (Dedeagats)

Fere (Feretzik)

Poros

Vrisoula

Peplos (Mourchamli)

Ticheron

Filakton

Laghina

Likofos

Kornofolia

Souflion

Mandra

Lavara

Amorion

Psathades

Didimotichon

Praghion

Praghion Stop

Petrades

Pithion (Kouleli Bourgaz)

Pithion Stop

Righion

Sofiko Stop

Thourion

Chimonion

Nea Orestias

Sacos

Kavili

Nea Vissa

Adrianople Turkey (Edirne)

 

 

STATIONS - STOPS OF RAILWAY LINE NEA VISSA - MARASIA

Nea Vissa

Kastanee

Marassia