Rail Transport in Greece - Military Railways (1916-1918)

Military Railways (1916-1918)

During World War I, after the collapse of Serbia, Eastern Macedonia was occupied by German and Bulgarian forces and Central and Western Macedonia by French and British troops, thus establishing the Macedonian front. The French and British troops and their Greek allies had extensive military logistics facilities in and around Thessaloniki. Supplies had to be transported to the various front line units. As World War I fronts were relatively static, it was possible to construct railway lines for this purpose. Almost all of these lines were of the Decauville system with a 600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄₈ in) gauge. Some of these lines were completely isolated from existing lines while others started at mainline railway stations.

The most important such railways were the following:

1. The Tasli to Stavros line at Orfanu Bay.
2. The Sarakli (Perivolakion) to Stavros line. This 66 km long line, built by the British Army, was taken over by the Hellenic State Railways (SEK) in 1921. SEK operated this line until 1947. It was preserved on request of the Hellenic Army until 1952, when it was dismantled. The main rolling stock consisted of War Department Baldwin 4-6-0T steam locomotives.
3. The Skydra (Vertekop) - Aridaia line. This 42 km long line was handed over after the war to Chemins de fer Vicinaux de Macedoine (1923), which failed to make a profit and the line was taken over by the Hellenic State Railways (SEK) in 1932. SEK closed the line in 1936.
4. The Armenochori - Skotsidir line
5. The Goumenitsa line
6. The Dimitritsi (Gudeli) to Kopriva (Kurfali) line
7. The Katerini - Dramista line, a mining line for transport of brown coal (lignite)