Hellenic Train has started closing ticket offices across Macedonia and throughout Greece as part of a transition to digital ticketing. This change aims to modernise railway services, but it leaves many employees without jobs, often learning about their layoffs shortly before the closures.
Both current and former staff members have described a tense and uncertain environment. Many rely on their jobs for income or are nearing retirement age, while regular passengers and tourists express concern about the service and information gaps created by the closures.
Sofia Alexandridou, previously stationed at Adendro, lost her job at the end of May. According to Alexandridou, employees in Adendro were informed only a week in advance that contracts would end and the station would close. She explains that at least 34 stations are shutting down nationwide as Hellenic Train rolls out electronic tickets across its network. This shift, she says, is happening without giving employees and commuters time to adjust.
The following ticket offices will be gradually, until June 30, ceasing their operations:
| ORESTIADA | 12/05/2025 |
| NEA PERAMOS | 27/05/2025 |
| ALEXANDROUPOLIS | 27/05/2025 |
| LITOCHORO | 27/05/2025 |
| KOMOTINI | 27/05/2025 |
| RODOPOLIS | 28/05/2025 |
| DRAMA | 28/05/2025 |
| SERRES | 28/05/2025 |
| KILKIS | 28/05/2025 |
| SKYDRA | 29/05/2025 |
| AMYNTAIO | 29/05/2025 |
| EDESSA | 29/05/2025 |
| FLORINA | 29/05/2025 |
| STYLIDA | 31/05/2025 |
| TITHOREA | 31/05/2025 |
| NAOUSSA | 30/05/2025 |
| ALEXANDREIA | 30/05/2025 |
| VEROIA | 30/05/2025 |
| ADENDRO | 30/05/2025 |
| AIGIO | 31/05/2025 |
| LAMIA | 31/05/2025 |
| KALAMBAKA | 18/06/2025 |
| TRIKALA | 18/06/2025 |
| KARDITSA | 18/06/2025 |
| VOLOS | 18/06/2025 |
| PALAIOFARSALOS | 30/06/2025 |
| PLATY | 30/06/2025 |
| LIANOKLADI | 30/06/2025 |
| LIVADIA | 30/06/2025 |
Dimitra, who has worked at the ticket office in Platý for nine years, faces the end of her position by June 30. She learned of the closure not through official channels but from a train attendant. Soon after, a coworker emailed her and others a list of stations expected to close by the end of June. Platý serves as a key hub connecting Western Macedonia with other regions, including Florina, Kozani, and Athens, as well as the suburban rail line to Larissa. Dimitra notes that Kalambaka is also affected, a city renowned for tourism, where the station provides vital information and assistance to visitors and locals alike.
Challenges for Employees and Travellers
Several staff members highlight ongoing problems:
- Many employees, especially those nearing retirement, now face the sudden prospect of unemployment.
- The majority of workers have been referred to OAED, the national unemployment agency, which has fueled uncertainty about their future.
- Dimitra recalls that information about upcoming closures often spreads informally among staff, as official communication is rare.
- The necessity of ticket offices extends beyond selling tickets: they provide passengers with route information, ticket types, and support for passengers with disabilities.
- With the digital ticketing system in place, specific categories of tickets have been eliminated, and errors occasionally occur, such as issuing the wrong ticket type.
Travellers also report being handed tablets on trains to evaluate services, although these surveys often omit questions about the impact of ticket office closures.
Public Response and Political Debate
Public reaction is growing. Over 10,000 signatures have been gathered nationwide to protest the closure of railway stations. Passengers, including older individuals and those without access to digital platforms, rely on in-person support for their travel needs. Concerns about insufficient service and crowded conditions at remaining open stations continue to mount.
Members of the opposition have raised the issue in Parliament, with SYRIZA MP Alexandros Meikopoulos describing the closures as a downgrade of rail services, especially for vulnerable groups. Dimitra reached out to the Deputy Minister of Transport. Still, during talks, he argued that OSE, the rail infrastructure company responsible for the changes, is a private company free to make its own decisions.
Η Hellenic Train ψηφιοποίει τα εισιτήρια και κλείνει τους σταθμούς «πετώντας στο δρόμο» εργαζόμενους
