Leptokarya railway station

Λεπτοκαρυά
Leptokarya
Λεπτοκαρυά; Leptokarya
	Leptokaria Station, with Platform 2 in the background, 2010
General information
Location	60063 Leptokarya; Pieria; Greece
Coordinates	40°03′32″N 22°33′56″E / 40.0588°N 22.5656°E
Owned by	GAIAOSE
Line(s)	Express RegionalPiraeus–Platy railway
Platforms	3 (2 in regular use)
Tracks	3
Train operators	Hellenic Train
Connections
Construction
Structure type	at-grade
Accessible
Other information
Website	http://www.ose.gr/en/
History
Opened	1916
Rebuilt	7 September 2008; 15 years ago
Electrified	25 kV AC
Services
Location
	Leptokarya Location within Greece

Leptokarya railway station (Greek: Σιδηροδρομικός σταθμός Λεπτοκαρυάς, romanized: Sidirodromikos stathmos Leptokaryá) is a railway station in Leptokarya, a town in Pieria, Central Macedonia, Greece. The station is located in a residential area, close to the town centre, and is also the closest active station to Mount Olympus National Monument, and sits in the showdown of the ancient landmark.

History edit

The station was built in 1916. In 1970 OSE became the legal successor to the SEK, taking over responsibilities for most of Greece's rail infrastructure. On 1 January 1971, the station and most of the Greek rail infrastructure was transferred to the Hellenic Railways Organisation S.A., a state-owned corporation. Freight traffic declined sharply when the state-imposed monopoly of OSE for the transport of agricultural products and fertilisers ended in the early 1990s. Many small stations of the network with little passenger traffic were closed down. 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 the sale of railway assists.^[1] 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 2004 the station and the line closed as part of the upgrades to the Piraeus–Platy Line. 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.

The station reopened on 7 September 2008 as part of the rollout of Proastiakos services. Since 2008, the station is served by the Proastiakos Thessaloniki services to New Railway Station. In 2009, with the Greek debt crisis unfolding OSE's Management was forced to reduce services across the network. Timetables were cut back, and routes closed as the government-run entity attempted to reduce overheads. In 2017 OSE's passenger transport sector was privatised as TrainOSE, currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane^[3] infrastructure, including stations, remained under the control of OSE.

Facilities edit

The station is still housed in the original early 20th-century brick-built station building. As of (2020) The station is staffed, with a working ticket office.^[4] The station currently has three platforms; however, only two are currently in regular use. There are waiting rooms on platform one and waiting shelters on 2/3. Access to the platforms is via a subway under the lines. The platforms have shelters with seating; however, there are no Dot-matrix display departure and arrival screens or timetable poster boards on the platforms. The station, however, does have a buffet. There is also Parking in the forecourt.

Services edit

It is served by local stopping services to Thessaloniki, Kalambaka and Palaiofarsalos. Since 2008, it has been served by Proastiakos Thessaloniki to Larissa and Thessaloniki.

Station Layout edit

L Ground/Concourse	Customer service	Tickets/Exits
Level L1	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Platform 3	non-regular use
	Island platform, doors will open on the right
	Platform 1	Π1 towards Thessaloniki (Litochoro) ←
	Platform 2	Π1 towards Larissa (Neoi Poroi) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right