Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways

Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways
Overview
Locale	Attica, Peloponnese
Dates of operation	1882–1962
Successor	Hellenic State Railways
Technical
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge

Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways or SPAP (Greek: Σιδηρόδρομοι Πειραιώς-Αθηνών-Πελοποννήσου "Siderodromi Pireos Athinon Peloponisou" or Σ.Π.Α.Π. (S.P.A.P.); French: Chemin de fer du Pirée-Athènes-Peloponèse^[1]) was a Greek railway company founded in 1882 as a private company, owning and operating the 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) (metre gauge) Piraeus–Patras railway line connecting Piraeus and Athens to Peloponnese. The company was nationalized in 1954 and formally absorbed by the Hellenic State Railways in 1962.

The name "Spap" originates from the Greek initials of the railway company.^[1]

History

The first line section between Piraeus, Athens and Elefsis was completed in 1884. The line reached Corinth in 1885 and Patras in 1887. In the meantime, an eastern branch from Corinth reached Argos and Nafplion in 1886. The western branch reached Pyrgos and finally Kyparissia in 1902. SPAP also acquired the line between Myloi (near Argos) and Kalamata via Tripoli, from the bankrupt Southern Greece Railways (Sidirodromoi Mesimbrinis Ellados). The two routes to Kalamata, via Patras and via Tripoli, merged at Zevgolatio.

Short branches were also constructed to serve important towns: Argos-Nafplion, Lefktro-Megalopolis, Kavasila-Vartholomio-Kyllini, Vartholomio-Kyllini Spa (Loutra), Pyrgos to Ancient Olympia, Asprochoma-Messini and, much later (1954), Isthmos-Loutraki. Diakofto Kalavrita Railway was also constructed by SPAP, but at a smaller gauge (750 mm or 2 ft 5+1⁄2 in).

The line from Piraeus to Corinth was 99 km, from Corinth to Kalamata via Tripoli 236 km and from Corinth to Zevgolatio via Patras and Pyrgos 347 km. The total length of the system with the branch lines was 731 km. In 1929 SPAP acquired the Heraklion-Lavrion section of Athens-Lavrion Railway, formerly operated by Attica Railways, and constructed a link from Kato Liossia (today Agioi Anargyroi) to Heraklion, to connect the Lavrion line to its network (1931). Passenger services on this branch were suspended in 1957 and it was cut off from the rest of the network in 1962, due to the construction of the Athens-Thessaloniki highway.

During the Axis occupation of Greece in WW2, and especially during the withdrawal of German troops in 1944, the network and the rolling stock suffered extensive damages both by the German army and by Greek resistance groups. Repair of SPAP assets was time-consuming and expensive. Damaged rolling stock was mainly repaired at Piraeus Engine Sheds. Normal levels of service resumed at about 1948 with the exception of the destroyed bridge of Achladokampos (between Argos and Tripoli), which was rebuilt by OSE in 1974.

In 1951 SPAP absorbed the small Pyrgos-Katakolo Railway. In 1953 SPAP absorbed Northwestern Greece Railways (SDBE), which operated a metre gauge line from Kryoneri to Messolongi and Agrinion.

In 1920 SPAP was briefly nationalized as part of the Hellenic State Railways but it became an independent company again two years later. Due to high debts, SPAP came under government control in 1939-1940 and was formally nationalized again in 1954. In 1962 the company was absorbed by the Hellenic State Railways.^[2]

Suspension

The economic crisis in Greece led to the suspension of all passenger and freight services on the metre gauge railway system in the Peloponnese in 2011.

Current situation

It is impossible services will ever resume fully on the 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) (metre gauge) line, as there are now section gaps on the route, although some privately chartered services occasionally run on short sections of line. A short section through the port city of Patras remains open as a suburban railway lines P1 and P2.

However as part of the P.A.Th.E./P. project, the former section of track between Athens and Kiato has been rebuilt to standard gauge and electrified. The Athens Airport–Patras railway, opened in 2007 until Kiato, is served by the Athens Suburban Railway. In 2019 this section of line was extended to Aigio.^[3] and eventually Patras, providing a double-track standard gauge rail connection between Patras and Athens. An extension from Patras to Kalamata via Pyrgos is also planned.^[4]

It was announced in July 2020 that the sections from Patras to Pirgos and Corinth- Kalamata and the branch to Napfion will reopen in 2021 with some sections perhaps earlier, however, COVID-19 has slowed this progress.

Rolling stock

Steam locomotives

Between 1883 and 1962 SPAP used 128 locomotives of 25 different types.

Class	Numbers	Type	Quantity	Manufacturer	Year	Power	Notes
Α	1-4	0-4-0T	4	Krauss	1883
Α	5	0-4-0T	1	Krauss	1885
Α1-6		0-6-0T	6	Couillet	1888
Β	101-109	2-4-0T	8	Krauss	1883
Β	111–114	2-4-0T	4	Krauss	1888
Βς	151–155	2-4-0T	5	Henschel	1912
Γ	201-205	2-6-0T	5	Krauss
Γ	261–268	2-6-0T	8	Couillet	1890		Ex Myloi—Kalamata railway, later renumbered 211–218
Δ	251-252	2-6-0T	2	Krauss	1886		rebuilt as 4-6-0T in 1888
Δ	253-254	4-6-0T	2	Krauss	1888		rebuilt as 4-6-0T in 1888
Δ (Δα)	101–108	2-8-2	8	Vulcan Iron Works	1947	644 kW (864 hp)	USATC S-118 copies
Δ (Δι)	111–120	2-8-2	10	Breda	1951	770 hp (574 kW)
Ε	151–152	4-4-0T	2	Krauss	1887
Ες	701–702	2-8-0	2	Borsig	1912
Ες	711–713	2-8-0	3	Borsig	1914
Ες	721–725	2-8-0	5	Linke-Hofmann	1925
Ες	726–728	2-8-0	3	Henschel & Sohn	1936
Ζ	500	2-6-0T	1	Vassiliadis Works	1900/1929
Ζ	501–517	2-6-0T	17	SACM Grafenstaden	1890–1901
Ζ	518–526	2-6-0T	9	Krauss	1902–1906
Ζς	530–533	2-6-0T	4	Krauss	1911
Ζς	540–542	2-6-0T	3	Krauss	1926		Ex Attica Railways
Η	551–552	2-6-0T	2	St. Léonard	1891
Θ	601–603	2-8-0	3	Krauss
Ι	651–660	2-4-0T	10	Société Belge	1889		Ex Myloi—Kalamata railway
Κ	701	0-6-0T	1	Krauss	1889		Ex Myloi—Kalamata railway, originality Kalamata Harbour
Μ	801–803	0-4-4-0	3	Krauss	1908		Mallet locomotives
ΔΚ	1–5	0-6-2RT (750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in))	5	Cail/MPR	1891/1954
ΔΚ	11	0-6-RT (750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in))	1	Krupp	1891

Diesel multiple units

SPAP introduced diesel railcars and multiple units early in 1937. They reduced journey times and offered good passenger facilities.

Class	Type	QTY	Manufacturer	Year
ΑΚ210	Β-2	8	DWF/MAN	1937
3ΑΚ1000	B-2-2-B	7	Esslingen	1956–1957
3ΑΚ640	B-2-2-B	13	DeDietrich	1950–1952
2ΑΚ420	B-2-B	8	Linke-Hofmann	1937
ΑΔΚ01 (750mm)	B-B+2+2-2 rack	3	Billiard	1958
ΑΚ2Χ155 ^[5]	1A-A1	3	Breda	1952

Diesel locomotives

Class	Type	QTY	Manufacturer	Model	Power	Year	Photo
DBς320.01	1-B	1	Piraeus Works		320 HP	1961

Notes and references

^ ^a ^b Martin, Percy Falcke. Greece of the Twentieth Century. T. Fisher Unwin, 1913. p. 193. Available at archive.org.
^ Law 4246/1962
^ "More Suburban Railway Stops Added to Peloponnese Line". GTP News. 18 April 2019.
^ "PATRA – PIRGOS – KALAMATA". ErgOSE.gr. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
^ Ordered by the Northwestern Greece Railways (SDBE)

Durrant, A. E. (1972) [1966]. The Steam locomotives of Eastern Europe. Newton Abbot, Devon, UK: David and Charles. ISBN 0-7153 4077 8.