The most impressive railway tunnel in Greece – where it is located and why it is unique

Memories of the old Platamonas railway tunnel, with its arched doorway and impressive tower, continue to live in the minds of local residents.

One of the most beautiful tunnels in Greece, offering views of the sea, operated until 2004 on the Athens-Thessaloniki railway line. This is the Platamonas Tunnel, built in 1915, after the liberation of Macedonia, by the French construction company Société de Construction des Batignolles. It is located directly below Platamonas Castle, next to the sea, in the coastal area of Neos Panteleimonas Pieria, and is about 200 meters long.

The tunnel and its extension, the arched gallery, formed a link between Macedonia and the rest of Greece, since the passage was the only means of moving people and goods, given the underdeveloped road network. At the front of the gallery there is a stone tower with loopholes, which guarded the access roads during the Second World War.

In 2004, a modern railway tunnel with a length of almost 4 km was built in Platamonas, as a result of which the old line was abolished and the old tunnel was decommissioned. In 2005 the old railway line has been designated a historic site. INAll the buildings that make up the Platamonas railway station, as well as the tunnel and the open gallery, are also classified as cultural monuments.

The Railway Gallery has been an entertainment center for several years now, where visitors can have a good time, drink a cup of coffee and enjoy the panorama of the sea.