Greece Rail Strike Knocks Out Trains, Including Airport Link

Travelers who planned to use trains in Greece on November 18, 2025 are waking up to a near nationwide shutdown, as a 24 hour strike by Hellenic Train workers and locomotive drivers moves from warning to reality. Hellenic Train's urgent bulletin confirms that most InterCity, regional, and suburban routes are canceled across the network, including key Proastiakos suburban lines, with only a skeleton list of trains and rail replacement buses running in each region. For visitors, the biggest pinch points are the Athens International Airport (ATH) rail link, connections between Athens and Thessaloniki, and suburban routes around Patras, Larissa, and northern Greece, all of which now have only a handful of surviving services.

Hellenic Train Strike And Airport Routes

The company's urgent update spells out how sweeping the disruption is, stating that the strike covers "the entire network, including suburban lines," then carving out a short list of exceptions that will still run with the help of union safety staff. On the long distance side, only a few flagship InterCity trains between Athens and Thessaloniki, plus select regional links such as Alexandroupoli to Ormenio, Thessaloniki to Florina, Thessaloniki to Serres, and Palaiofarsalos to Kalambaka, are scheduled to operate. Around Patras and western Greece, the suburban rail network is heavily thinned, with many segments moved onto buses, marked with train numbers that start with "C," while core shuttles between Agios Andreas, Rio, Kastelokampos, Agios Vasileios, Kaminia, Kato Achaia, and the university and hospital area continue in mixed train and bus form.

For most visitors, the most sensitive detail in that long list is the Athens airport and Piraeus corridor. Hellenic Train confirms that a small set of Airport-Ano Liosia and Ano Liosia-Airport suburban trains will still run, alongside a very limited number of direct Piraeus-Airport and Airport-Piraeus services, plus reduced Piraeus-Kiato, Kiato-Piraeus, and Athens-Chalkida trains. This means the airport rail link is not completely gone, but headways and capacity are cut so sharply that travelers should treat the train as a backup rather than a primary option. Routes that are shown with a "C" suffix are operating as buses, particularly along the Kiato-Patra corridor, which preserves some connectivity between Peloponnese bus hubs and the mainline at Kiato but loses the normal rail frequency.

Nationwide, Greek travel and risk advisories describe the strike as effectively halting train travel for the day, highlighting that Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Larissa, Kiato, Piraeus, Platy, and Alexandroupoli are all affected. The result is that even where a token train or bus exists, there may be hours between departures, with crowding and knock on delays if those few services fill up.

Latest developments

This disruption goes a step beyond Adept Traveler's earlier warning piece, Greece Rail Strike To Halt Trains November 18, which was written when the walkout was still prospective and timetables were not yet final. The new Hellenic Train update turns that warning into a concrete operating plan, with specific train numbers that will run and an explicit statement that everything else is suspended for the full 24 hours.

The strike also lands immediately after November 17 Polytechnic commemorations in Athens and Thessaloniki, an annual protest day that already brought marches, heavy police presence, and road closures around central districts and the U.S. Embassy. U.S. officials warned their own personnel to avoid downtown protest routes, and travelers staying near Syntagma, Omonia, or the embassy were told to expect delays and short notice metro or road diversions on November 17. Coming directly after that, the rail strike turns the November 17 to November 18 window into a one two punch, first with marches and then with transport disruption.

Crucially, flights at Athens International Airport, Thessaloniki, and other Greek airports remain scheduled as normal so far. The strike targets Hellenic Train operated rail, not airport operations, air traffic control, or security screening. The pain point is getting to and from those airports, ferry ports, and cities without the rail backbone that many visitors and domestic commuters rely on.

Analysis

Background Rail strikes and demonstrations are a regular feature of travel in Greece, and official foreign travel advice notes that strikes are often called at short notice and can affect buses, trains, ferries, and sometimes airports. The current Hellenic Train strike fits that pattern, highlighting long running disputes over working conditions, staffing, and safety on a network that has already drawn scrutiny in recent years.

For travelers landing at or departing from Athens International Airport on November 18, the immediate move is to shift from the suburban railway to road and metro options. The airport remains served by four 24 hour express bus routes, with X95 running to Syntagma Square in central Athens, X96 connecting directly to Piraeus for ferries and cruises, X93 linking to the Kifissos and Liossion intercity bus terminals, and X97 running to Elliniko where passengers can connect to Metro Line 2. These buses depart from the arrivals level between exits 4 and 5 and are designed as round the clock airport connectors, though traffic can add significant time in peak hours.

Metro Line 3 also links the airport to central Athens, with trains running to Syntagma and Monastiraki on a regular schedule during operating hours. On a strike day, that metro line becomes the closest equivalent to the missing suburban rail, although it does not cover all the same suburban and regional destinations. Taxis and licensed ride services remain widely available at the airport taxi rank, with flat fares into the city center and variable metered fares to Piraeus and other districts, and private transfer companies are likely to see a spike in demand.

If you are connecting onward to an island ferry or cruise from Piraeus, the safest public option is the X96 airport express bus, which runs 24 hours a day between the airport and the port, followed by a short walk or local transfer to your specific gate or terminal. Cruise and ferry passengers should leave a larger buffer than usual, since any incident on the main coastal road can quickly trap buses and taxis in heavy traffic when rail alternatives are unavailable. For travelers heading to regional cities such as Thessaloniki, Patras, or Larissa, a day of canceled trains makes domestic flights and long distance KTEL buses the main alternatives, with road travel likely to be busy as commuters and freight shift off rail.

It is important to place this disruption in the right safety context. The U.S. Department of State continues to rate Greece at Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions, the lowest advisory level, and recent updates have reaffirmed that status while mainly warning about petty crime and routine demonstrations in urban areas. In other words, the rail strike is being treated as an operational and labor relations issue, not as a sign of a broader security crisis. At the same time, the combination of frequent strikes, crowded infrastructure, and recurring protest days means that travelers who depend on tight same day connections, particularly between flights, ferries, and tours, need to build more flexibility into Greek itineraries than the headline advisory level might suggest.

From a planning standpoint, visitors who already hold Hellenic Train tickets for November 18 should assume their service is canceled unless it appears on the short list of trains that are still operating, and should contact Hellenic Train or their booking channel for rebooking, credit, or refund options. Those who are still in the planning phase can treat November 18 as a rail blackout day and design routes around buses, metro, taxis, and domestic flights instead.

Final thoughts

Greece's November 18 rail strike has turned what was already a busy post protest week into a day when trains are largely off the table, with only a skeleton airport and regional schedule surviving. The core message for travelers is simple, treat the Greece rail strike as a one day rail shutdown, pivot quickly to airport express buses, metro, taxis, and domestic flights, and give yourself more time to move between Athens International Airport, Piraeus, and key regional hubs until full rail service returns. If you hold Hellenic Train tickets for November 18, check the official urgent update list before you travel and work with the carrier, your airline, or your travel advisor on refunds or alternative arrangements.

Sources

• Important information, Hellenic Train
• 24-Hour strike to halt train services across Greece on Tuesday, November 18
• Nationwide train strike by Hellenic Train workers in Greece
• Greece travel advisory, U.S. Department of State
• Demonstration Alert, U.S. Mission Greece, November 17, 2025
• Safety and security, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Greece
• Public transportation, Athens International Airport
• Airport Express Bus Lines, OASA