Svilengrad to Alexandroupolis via a rarely used international railway line.
Вставка
- Опубліковано 14 сер 2015
- Today our train is in the hands of a Greek OSE diesel locomotive. We board in Bulgaria at Svilengrad where we watch various track machines working to upgrade and electrify the line into Turkey. We travel into Greece along a little used line via Dikaia close to the Turkish border and on to Alexandroupolis situated by the Aegean Sea.
A nice insight of this line that I must say I have no clue about...Thanks for the Ride...
Very nice video!!!!!! Well down!!! I live in Nea Orestiada!👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍!!!
I used to snorkel in Nea Araklitsa.....my favourite coastline so far.....
nice vídeo.......Thanks for post
Thank you, I'm pleased you enjoyed it.
this wash suprising special railroad.i have enjoy it.thanks.
MrPeerum Hi, thank-you for your comment. This is a fascinating line following the Turkish border for much of it's length. It has an interesting history being part of the 'Oriental Railway System' in Otterman times. It was held by Turkey in part during World War 2 and only joined the Greek railways proper in 1954.
yes,i have seen by one river 2 small bunkers from WW2.
Very interesting video 🤙
Hi, I'm pleased you enjoyed it 😊😊
A very interesting video, Tim. Let's hope that one day the route is better used.
Hi Phil, it was a fascinating ride, apart from the odd maintenance train, I don't think there is any regular traffic over this international connection.
Nice video!
+Mr10cengo
Thank you.
canadian beauty :D
amazing
Thank you.
That's a real 'out of the way' line! Doesn't look as though it gets many passengers. It was quite an enjoyable trip, but it must have taken you some time to editing it. Thanks for doing it anyway, it was fun.
Rob Catt Cheers Rob, I think this line is a victim of the Greek financial crisis and the suspension of international passenger trains. There is a spartan passenger service between Dikaia and Alexandropolis, but the line across the border looked rarely used, maybe the odd maintenance train or enthusiast special, yet much of the track looked as if it had been replaced recently. The line has an interesting history as a result of it's close proximity to the Turkish border for most of it's length.
@@Timsvideochannel1 Hello Tim from Greece. Greek railways always has been in bad condition. The Greek governments all over the years, never wanted to have a fast safe and modern railway. Today the line between Thessaloniki and Alexandropouli it's in a such bad condition. The travel time with train in the line is at least 9 hours for about 400km route. Everyone goes with the bus which is 5 hours.
@@ADtranzakias Hello, it is nice to hear from Greece. It is sad to hear that the railway has deteriorated so much. The railway cannot compete with road transport without investment. I hope the fortunes of the railway improve, if not it's future looks bleak.
Hello Tim, such a pleasure watching your video. It's not often you see a 06 diesel full resolution :) And it's relaxing to watch the train travel through the Greek countryside. Would you happen to have the full length video somewhere on the net by chance?
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. This video shows the complete journey at 4 x full speed. On this occasion I was unable to place a camera at the front, so I placed one at the back, then reversed the video, it's not to everyone's taste, but hopefully you will enjoy it ua-cam.com/video/YHUkrBYohpw/v-deo.html
Thank's for speeding up the train video otherwise No One would be watching IT we wood BE Sound ASLEEP
Was this in Winter ? ? Oh and Thank's for ALL the Wonderful Video's You have put out în the past.
But I still love ❤️ the video. It is now 08:07 so if I make some mistakes l am sorry .
Have A Wonderful Fall and Winter in 2017 / 2018 and beyond
nice. I'm Bulgarian and always wondered what's it like on that isolated part of Greece near the Turkish border.:D
Hi, I'm pleased you found this video interesting. The line across the border into Greece did not look as though it was used much, whereas the line into Turkey appeared to be quite busy.
i indeed. I like travelling. I've been to Greece twice before but not so far east to the Turkish border. I went to Kavala, Seres, Nia Vrasna and Thessaloniki :D .
Kavala is a cute well shaped city, nice port and historic fortress there, palms too. Probably my favourite city in Greece. My parents been on island Thasos before.
In History that part of Greece Evros was first under Ottomans occupation and later Bulgarians liberated them. After the World Wars Greece gained these lands as the Allies defeated Germany.
Where are you from btw?
Hi, I am from the South Coast of England and love to travel whenever I can, usually 2 or 3 times a year. I spend far too much money seeing the world and I will probably be poor when I get old, but I will have some great memories. I really enjoyed visiting Bulgaria and Greece, it would be nice to return one day to see a little more. Since my visit I have learned more about the Ottoman Empire and how it shaped much of Europe. Schools in England do not teach enough about European history, which is a pity because although Britain is an Island it is also in Europe.
i'm happy you've had nice experience. Yeah
Aleksandar Kan I get the idea that he was Lucky to Have Such a Good Trip visiting Greece ? ? October 16, 2017
Tim, do you know if there is a rail route still used between Pythio and Turkey? The description of the rail routes in this area confuse me.
I wasn't sure so I looked it up. From what I can glean on the internet, the line was replaced a new route avoiding so many border crossings. I think these links give the answer - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pehlivank%C3%B6y%E2%80%93Svilengrad_railway
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul%E2%80%93Pythio_railway
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythio
Hello, there was an international train from Thessaloniki, Greece to Istanbul, Turkey. It was cancelled at 2011 due to economical issues of Greek railways. Today there is no international train between Thessaloniki and Istanbul because of the bad condition of the track in Greece and due to crisis between Turkey and Greece.
It would be nice if the North Greece line east from Thessaloniki were electrified. I know it is just a single track route but would increase capacity without the need for doubling nor more elaborate signalling
Hi, the part of line I travelled on was very quiet with a sparse service. Freight has been lost to the much improved road network. This line will have difficulty justifying electrification on it's current traffic levels.
Please pardon my ignorance...
How was clearance and block authorization handled?
Is it customary for there to be no audible warning at level crossings?
Are the rails welded?
Hi, much of the signaling appeared to be the responsibility of station masters. I Googled the internet for an answer, this link may help - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_railway_signalling
There were lights and bells protecting crossings in built up areas, some even had barriers, once out in the countryside the driver sounded the horn at some unmanned level crossing, but not all. The rails were welded where the track was laid on concrete sleepers, generally the track was in good condition.
Before I forget - I really enjoy your videos :)
Thanks for your answers.
I had read the Wikipedia article but it wasn't until your mention of station masters caused me to read it again that I finally made the connection to the discussion of radio communications.
It's too nerdy for words, but I still find myself wondering how the engine was ordered and the routing was authorized. It would surely have been a lot more difficult - bordering on impossible - before 2007.
Cheers, I'm glad you enjoy the videos. The lines we traversed were not very busy, in fact the section over the border between Bulgaria and Greece rarely sees a train. I don't really know how the signalling works, but each station where there was a passing loop had distant signals to allow the train to enter, they appeared to be controlled from the station with almost no working signals on the single track main lines in between. There were also signals for the train to leave the station, this indicates that the line in between each station was treated as a single block. Most of the points were operated manually. We did pass a few little used sidings where stock looked as though it had been parked up many years ago. It would be interesting to know how the lines were controlled when the lines saw more trains including pickup freights.This might help - www.revolvy.com/topic/Greek%20railway%20signalling
Timsvideochannel1 Thank 's Tim for the Wikipedia information I wrote it Down on Paper so I Don't Get lost on the computer I can't always get back until I happen to Stumble across the Video again.
Great video, Tim. How did you get tickets for this journey ?
+Dragan Penchev
Hi, this trip was a one off with the "Railway Touring Company". This years "Black Sea Express" does not go to Greece, maybe next year? ... here is a link to this years tour ... www.railwaytouring.net/travel-tours/the-black-sea-express?A=SearchResult&SearchID=410719&ObjectID=4851729&ObjectType=35 ... I am sorry I cannot be more helpful ... Tim.
Thank you so much.
Are there any scheduled passenger services across the Bulgaria-Greece border?
No
No at this part. Greece has two railway borders with Bulgaria. The other part is the railway border with most traffic. It's also next to the road borders between Greece and Bulgaria.
The track renewal in Svilengrad is now complete. We have an electric traction to Turkey since 2016.
There was a lot of work being done when I visited, now it is finished, is their a passenger service into Turkey or Greece? I saw several trains going to and from Turkey, but our special train appeared to be the only one going to Greece.
There is now only one passenger train per direction to Turkey and complete lack of trains to Greece.
The trains I saw entering and leaving Turkey were all freight trains, I don't think there were any freight trains to Greece, which is a pity because a lot of the railway line looked to have been replaced recently, although it did look very overgrown in places. I have watched some of your cab-ride videos, Burgas looks much better now the track has been replaced.
At wich minute is the border between BG & GR please?
+Cornel Sibianul
Hi, the border was crossed at 06:08
I just wanna correct something. From 25:45 to 26:27 you cross through railway station Pythion. However it`s named kinda like a "Stathmos". A "stathmos" ("σταθμός") is the greek word for "railway station". So , you cross through railway station Pythion.
If you understand me correctly , there`re existing 2 posts - 1. a railway stop (halt) Pythion (which was passed by you in 25:11) and 2. a railway station Pythion (also with the same name) , which was passed by you from 25:45 to 26:27. After 26:27 , you see 2 lines - your line towards Alexandroupolis and right line , which countinues in Turkey (the nearest railway station is Uzunköprü) and countinues towards railway station Pehlivanköy , which is situated on the main line , coming from Svilengrad - Kapıkule - Edirne - Pehlivanköy - Alpullu - Çerkezköy - Istanbul. So from Svilengrad to Pehlivanköy you can reach in 2 ways - on the main line in direction Edirne and through Greece in direction Svilengrad - Dikaia - Pythion - Uzunköprü - Pehlivanköy.
In nowadays between Pythion and Uzunköprü there`s no passener services. The international train "Friendship Express" between Istanbul and Thessaloniki was stopped:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendship_Express
That is Too Bad that that the Friendship Train stopped , How Come can you tell me thank you . Hay just saw a Track Speeder at 1 of Town's that the train is passing through.
At 6:28 I see a railway stop (halt) with a platform from the left side. Do you know what is it? This stop isn`t named .
The platform was shortly after we crossed the border from Bulgaria into Greece. I believe the platform had been used by customs officers in the past (before Bulgaria joined the EU)
Thanks!
These customs platforms are still standard in Bulgaria. There is one just over the border from Turkey where Customs and Border Police board passenger trains. Also there is one just inside Bulgaria on the Nis to Sofia line. Again it is a platform in the middle of nowhere so that customs checks can be carried out on passenger trains.
Bridge to nowhere at 30:08, visible on google streetview from 2011.
Railway in good condition other than some foliage creeping across.
Anthony
***** Much of the line looked in good condition, the bridge to nowhere is part of a new motorway, but the Greek financial crisis is having a big impact on new infrastructure projects, some slowing down, others being put on hold until finance is available.
They've now rerouted this railway, it runs underneath that bridge.
It is good to see that the railway has benefitted too from the road improvements that were being carried out in the area.
Hi tim great vid wonderful scenery, Why is the track not used more often into bulgaria as it looks in good condition,Is the greek rail system on a come back or is it still a bit of a basket case?,Brace yourself for a hot feb in oz it was 35c in sydney today with humidity in the high 80's there predicting it will be the hottest summer in australia,s history cheer's bob from sunny and'" BLOODY HOT" sydney.'
Hi Robert, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm in Brisbane at the moment, it's hot, but not too hot, although I'm aware it will be really hot in Longreach, tomorrows destination. I look forward to sharing my Australian adventure when I get back to my computer in a very cold UK.
@@Timsvideochannel1 Hi tim it will be a wee bit hotter in longreach tomorrow say about 40c are you going to check out the qantas museum im going out there mid june on my way to uluru [ayers rock] central australia it will be a wee bit cooler then, have a great holiday in oz cheers bob.
Hi Robert, it was 28C and raining heavily when I reached Longreach, apparently it was the first rain for a very long time. Loved the train ride, great value for money and the museum is well worth visiting. I'm at the puffing Billy railway tomorrow with a friend who works on the railway. I'll start uploading videos from this adventure when I get back to the UK.
@@Timsvideochannel1 Thanks mate,The australian out back is a beautiful to visit,Enjoy the rest of your hol's and i will hear from you when you go home safe flight cheer's bob.
I’m Greek but drive Electro Locomotives with Freight Trains in Germany. It would be great if I could sometime to Greece with ETCS
Hi, Greek and German railways are very different in character, the German railways are a very important part of the transport infrastructure, whereas this line is a bit of a Cinderella line, with a very limited train service and almost no maintenance. I don't know how much longer this railway will survive, now is a good time to visit, whilst trains are still running, the cost of installing ETCS might be the last nail in its coffin, although some sort of radio signalling could offer significant cost savings.
👍
Amazing they have the money to upgrade these lines with all the financial issues they were/are having.
Money was being spent or the track before the crash to integrate the railways of Europe, this stopped after the crash except where railways needed to be moved to make way for the motorway being built to improve road connections with Turkey. At the time Turkey was expected to join the EU. How things change over a relatively short period of time, there are now very few international passenger trains into Greece or Bulgaria and Turkey is unlikely to join the EU in the foreseeable future.
Are they restoring it?
And Why Are The Railroad Crossings Gates Off
Hi, when I made this trip, the section of track between Dikaia close to the Turkish border and on to Alexandroupolis was not used, although much of the track was almost new. Travel restrictions have prevented me from returning, although this article does provide more up to date information - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandroupoli%E2%80%93Svilengrad_railway#:~:text=The%20Alexandroupoli%E2%80%93Svilengrad%20railway%20is%20a%20178.5%20kilometres%20%28110.9,of%20Ormenio.%20Despite%20its%20name%2C%20as%20of%202020
Does it stoped every stations?
This was a special train, it was not booked to stop, but sometimes it did for operational reasons.
Hi Tim. Seems like a well maintained railway for being seldom used. Concrete ties (you call them sleepers, but I have no idea why). Cross ties; tie the rails together. WTF is sleeper? ha haha Regular passenger in Greece?
The railway was in surprisingly good condition. As far as I am aware there are no regular trains over the connecting line between Greece and Bulgaria. Many international trains ceased to run after the Greek financial crisis hit. There are a few internal services over the line running as far as Dikaia. It is interesting to note different words used to describe the same item in the rest of the world and the UK, such as (sleeper) tie, (sleeping policeman) speed ramp, (Dust Bin) trash can, (Bonnet of a car) hood, (Boot of a car) trunk. There is a real difference between American English and English English, but TV and films has helped make most words universal.
Very true, lift (elevator), way-out (Exit). Irish overs singing, (My-ole-man's-a-dustman) And then there's the Aussies! ;-)
Then there a strong dialects, such as Glaswegian, Geordie and Cockney rhyming slang - (apple and pears) stairs, (Barnet Fair) hair, (Boat race) face, (cream crackered) knackered. It's no wonder English is said to be a difficult language to learn. The English language is expanding all the time as new words enter the dictionary such as (Googled) to look something up on the internet. It's all good fun :-)
Yes it is. Oh that Cockney English? Reminds me of Michel Cain, his early stuff like Iprcess Files ;-)
À 6.07:ouh là là !C'est de là-haut que les garde-frontières bulgares venaient se percher pour voir si des clandestins cherchaient à passer en Grèce.C'est la vérité...
+Jean Marie Z Zombory
The Border crossed at 6:07 used to have much more significance at one time, we were not even asked to show our passports. Europe is a very different place now.
Would you please add a translation to English Please. Thank you in school they tossed me out of French in fact All German, Spanish, if. they could have tossed me English they would have.
Your video of the Country side is nice from the rear of the Train is really Very Nice . Even if I was on a trip over there I would not have seen these video photos. You must have mounted the Video Camara over the Door because it has added Hight. What time of Year was your visit Taken ? ?
Great video! Here is a very nice picture of what I believe the loco was:
www.railfaneurope.net/pix/gr/diesel/A500/A504/2005_09_07-012.jpg
This is also known as an Alco MX636 diesel.
+Dana Mack
Hi Dana, the photo does look as though it shows another member of the locomotive class that hauled our train.
It's the same type of locomotive but with smaller horsepower.
Hai
تحية للحراقة الي بيفحصوا طريق السكة 😂
أنا سعيد لأنك استمتعت بالرحلة
تتحدث العربية 😮
@@AbdullahKassha يمكنني استخدام ترجمة جوجل
Now it is an official NATO line...😮
That's interesting, I didn’t know that NATO had a say in keeping railways operational, I guess it makes sense.
Why do you keep skipping portions of the trip every few seconds? Quite distracting, loses continuity. A straight video with no cut portions would be better. But still, thanks for providing the footage you show, covering a less travelled line.
Hi, it can be difficult to shoot continuous footage on lines such as this one, with many trees and other obstacles. My aim was to give an impression of the route as it was long journey. I'm glad you found this look at the line interesting, trains are few and far between.
Ωραία τα βίντεο, αλλά πρόβλημα βρίσκεται αλλού. Από καιρό οι σιδηροδρομικές εταιρίες έχουν υποβαθμίσει το επίπεδο της σύνδεσης Θεσσαλονίκης Αλεξανδρούπολης σε εκείνο των δεκαετιών του 1970 και του 1980! Αφενός οι χρόνοι της σύνδεσης θυμίζουν τις πόστες 61χ, αφετέρου η σιδ/κή σύνδεση φτάνει μέχρι τον σιδ/κό σταθμό της Δράμας και η συνέχεια γίνεται με μετεπιβίβαση σε λεωφορεία! Που είναι οι διαμαρτυρίες σας; Που είναι οι εκπρόσωποί σας σε Δήμους, Περιφέρεια, Ελληνική Βουλή και Ευρωκοινοβούλιο; Που είναι οι συνδικαλιστικοί σύλλογοί σας, τα επιμελητήρια, οι τεχνοκράτες σας; Που είναι οι δημοσιογράφοι, τα έντυπα και ηλεκτρονικά μέσα μαζικής ενημέρωσης, η τηλεόραση και το ραδιόφωνο; Επιτρέπεται από τις τεσσεράμισι (4,5) ώρες για το Θεσσαλονίκη - Αλεξανδρούπολη το 2005 να είμαστε δεκαπέντε χρόνια μετά στις οκτώμισι (8,5) ώρες και βάλε και μάλιστα με μετεπιβίβαση στο σιδ/κό σταθμό της Δράμας; Που είναι η... "πρόοδος" στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, τα προγράμματα (Μεσογειακά Ολοκληρωμένα, Ντελόρ 1 και 2, ΕΣΠΑ, Γιούγκερ και δεν ξέρω τι άλλο); Που είναι η τεχνογνωσία μιας εκ των κορυφαίων σιδηροδρομικών εταιριών στο κόσμο, της ιταλικής Φερροβίε Ντε Λο Στάτε; Τι συμβολισμό μπορεί να δίνει για την ακριτική Θράκη μια τέτοια υποβάθμιση των σιδ/κών υπηρεσιών την ίδια στιγμή κατά την οποία η εκτός Ε.Ε. γειτονική Τουρκία προχωρά αλματωδώς στη βελτίωση των παρεχομένων σιδ/κών συγκοινωνιών; Ωραία τα βίντεο, αλλά χρειάζεται και αγώνας για την ανατροπή αυτής της απαράδεκτης κατάστασης...
Γεια σας, συγγνώμη πήρα πολύ χρόνο για να απαντήσει. Βρήκα το σχόλιό σας ενδιαφέρον, δεν είχα συνειδητοποιήσει την υπηρεσία τρένων είχε επιδεινωθεί τόσο πολύ από τη δεκαετία του 1970 / 80 του. Οι ράγες μεταξύ Ελλάδας και Βουλγαρίας ήταν σκουριασμένες, εκτός από περιστασιακά τρένα συντήρησης, δεν νομίζω ότι χρησιμοποιήθηκε η γραμμή.
Hello, sorry I took a long time to reply. I found your comment interesting, I didn't realise the train service had deteriorated so much since the 1970's/80's. The rails between Greece and Bulgaria were rusty, apart from occasional maintenance trains, I don't think the line was used.
Φίλε δεν είναι Έλληνας, είναι από την Ρουμανία, απλώς ήρθε με το τρένο στην Αλεξανδρούπολη και το βιντεοσκοπησε.
@@Timsvideochannel1 That's because Greece has already a line with Bulgaria. As you said this line is for maintenance trains or special occasions.
@@ADtranzakias I don't know if the line is still open or in a fit state to be used today. It is always sad when a railway line falls into disuse, but it costs money to keep a line open, sometimes it can't be justified, if there is no regular traffic.
@@ADtranzakias Ε, και; Αυτό δεν μεταβάλλει τίποτα από την ζοφερή ελληνική πραγματικότητα...