The Hellenic Railways Organisation or OSE ( or ) is the Greek national railway company which owns, maintains and operates all railway infrastructure in Greece with the exception of Athens' rapid transit lines. Train services on these lines are run by Hellenic Train S.A., a former OSE subsidiary, Rail Cargo Logistics Goldair, Pearl and Grup Feroviar Român.
History
It was founded on 1 January 1971, with the Legislative Decree 674/1970, taking over the responsibilities as the successor to the Hellenic State Railways SEK. which had been founded in 1920. OSE is owned 100% by the Greek State. In 1996 Ergose was created within OSE to facilitate infrastructure projects. In 2001, the infrastructure element of OSE was created, known as GAIAOSE. It would henceforth be responsible for the maintenance of stations, bridges and other elements of the network, as well as the leasing and sale of railway assists. In 2003, OSE launched "Proastiakos SA", as a subsidiary to serve the operation of the suburban network in the urban complex of Athens during the 2004 Olympic Games. In 2005, TrainOSE was created as a brand within OSE to concentrate on rail services and passenger interface. In 2008, all Proastiakos were transferred from OSE to TrainOSE. In 2013 ΕΕΣΣΤΥ, Stock Maintenance Company became a separate part of OSE responsible for both the maintenance of rolling stock and the leasing of it. In April 2013 the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund became the sole shareholder of the corporation in April 2013. An international tendering process for the privatisation of TrainOSE began in July 2013. The Italian state railway group Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane submitted the only binding offer for a 100% stake in TrainOSE, it was announced on 6 July 2016. On 14 July 2016, the privatisation agency accepted Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane's offer, worth 45 million euros, to buy 100% of TrainOSE. TrainOSE's shares were completely transferred on 14 September 2017, and is currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane. In 2019 Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane aquared ΕΕΣΣΤΥ As of December 2020, the Greek railway network consists of of active line length, some sections of which, such as the Peloponnese metric network, are used only in tourist seasons. The approximate length of the active network in permanent operation reaches
Primary rail network
As in most European Union countries, the administration of the railway infrastructure is separate from the railway operating companies using the network to provide passenger and freight transportation services. Up until November 2010, company EDISY S.A. was the actual manager of the Greek national railway infrastructure until it became a subsidiary of OSE. Specifically, on 29 November 2010, EDISY S.A. was merged back into the parent company OSE S.A., which is today the manager of the rail infrastructure of Greece.
The major lines of the Greek railway network consist of the mostly electrified standard gauge double-track line from Athens to northern Greece-Thessaloniki, a single-track electrified line from Thessaloniki to Idomeni (at the border with North Macedonia) and the mixed-gauge line from Athens to Peloponnese. Almost all other lines link directly with these two lines. The main line of the Greek Railway System from Athens to Thessaloniki covers a distance of .
According to the 2007 Network Statement, the total length of the standard gauge lines was approximately , while the length of the metre gauge lines (excluding Krioneri–Missolonghi–Agrinio line) is about . In addition, about of new standard gauge lines towards Athens Airport and to replace metre gauge lines became fully operational in July 2007.
The backbone of railway network in called P.A.Th.E./P., which stands for Patras–Athens–Thessaloniki–Idomeni/Promachonas.
Piraeus – Athens Central Station
Piraeus is served by two terminals. One at Piraeus Harbour (Πειραιεύς Λιμήν, ), which up until 2006 was used by some standard gauge trains for Chalkis, Thessaloniki, and Alexandroupolis. The short line to Agios Ioannis Renti is closed and, as of 2009, is being renovated. The heavy rolling stock repair works (Piraeus Central Factory, Κεντρικό Εργοστάσιο Πειραιώς – ΚΕΠ) are located at Lefka (), next to Ergostasio halt, and are accessible from this line.