Thessaloniki–Bitola railway


The railway from Thessaloniki to Bitola is a 219-kilometre long railway line, that connects the port city Thessaloniki in Greece with Bitola in the Republic of North Macedonia, via Veroia, Edessa, Amyntaio and Florina. The line was opened in 1894 unde the name "Société du Chemin de Fer ottoman Salonique-Monastir", when the area was part of the Ottoman Empire. The section between the international border and Bitola is not used anymore, and as of 2013 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–Monastir line was signed. It however wasn't until 28 October 1890 that the Ottoman Sublime Porte gave Deutsche Bank 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 setup 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 which were already operation 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 Balkan railway building shortly before this project began.
While at that time the practice of compulsory work was still in use, labor was cheap in rural Macedonia and the engineers were reported to be enthusiastically welcomed.
After the end of Balkan Wars in 1913, the line ended fully in Greek territory, except for the last 17km to Monastir that ended up in Yugoslavia. The Greek government purchased the Greek part Salonica Monastir railway in 17 October 1925 and the railway became part of the Hellenic State Railways.

Locomotives

Locomotives of the Salonic Monastir Railway
NumberManufacturerQtyYearTypeCommentsPicture
501 to 508Sarono8CBecame SEK class Δγ
509 to 510Maffei21'Cbecame SEK class Eβ 231 - 232
521 to 523Borsig111'CBecame SEK class Eγ 521 to 523

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. At Amyntaio the Kozani–Amyntaio railway branches off towards Kozani, serving Ptolemaida 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 in the Republic of North Macedonia is reached. This short international connection is now disused, with all international traffic being routed via Idomeni and Gevgelija.

Main stations

The main stations on the Thessaloniki–Bitola railway are:
The Thessaloniki–Bitola railway is used by the following passenger services: