International Services to Greece

[Tim B]

Heard on Radio 4 news yesterday that as a cost cutting measure Greek railways have severed connections with international rail services at the Greek borders (Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey). This seems to leave Thessalonika-bound pax to make their own way across the border and to their ultimate destination as best they can. This was confirmed by seat61. Anyone have any more information on this ?

Terribly sad, but let's hope this is only a temporary measure. It reminds me of an Inter-Railing trip in 1979, travelling London - Athens overland across the border with then Yugoslavia (Gevgelia / Idomeni as I recall). This trip was also memorable for seeing the Paris - London sleeping cars on the Dunkirk - Dover ferry on my return journey. I think this through service was terminated shortly afterwards.

 

[route101]

Interesting but a shame . Last summer i took EC from Skopje to Thessaloniki . I have a Lets Go guide to Greece 1987 and that mentions a Munich to Athens train service.

 

[AJP62]

I went Inter Railing in the early 80s and I'm pretty sure there wes more than one Germany to Greece train you could choose from. We got one that left Belgrade in the evening and it was mobbed - squeezed in the corridor for a lot of the trip to Thessalonika which was something like a 15 hour journey.

Train seemed to be filled with Yougolsav and Greek ex-pats returning from Germany - long before cheap flights of course. They all had loads of stuff with them as I expect things were in short supply in those days in that part of the world. The few hours we'd spent in Belgrade had a very austere feel to them.

Train started to empty in southern Yugoslavia and we got seats for a few hours before the sunshine of Thessalonika. Next day went to Athens on a train where we had virtually a whole carriage to ourselves - standing by those European big drop down windows as the heat wafted in was a great way to do that trip! A lot of exhaust from the diesels up front too.

 

[DiscoStu]

Yes, I know, I read this yesterday.

Myself and two work mates were planning on doing two weeks InterRailing via Paris, Milan, Venice, Brindisi, Patras, Athens, Bucharest, Budapest, Prague and then to Munich in time for Oktoberfest, but the Greeks have single handedly managed to balls that up.

Not sure where to go now! :cry:

 

[Waddon]

It's not just the international routes, services have been suspended on a lot of internal routes too, and prices significantly increased, according to a newspaper report today (sorry can't remember which paper, I have to read them all as part of my job and just recall noticing it)