Unravelling the Story of the Lefka Railway Complex in Piraeus, Greece. Past, Present and Future Perspectives

ABSTRACT This article sheds light on the story of one of the most important vestiges of railway heritage in Greece — the historic railway complex of the Piraeus-Athens-Peloponnese Railways Company (SPAP) — once the largest 1m gauge system in Europe, located in the Lefka district of Piraeus. Starting from its establishment in 1886, the article discusses the complex’s development and its progressive decline that led to its closure in 2005. Furthermore, it analyses the state of conservation at the time of the site’s most recent documentation in 2019 and the subsequent measures taken for its safeguarding. Lastly, it presents the current condition of the complex as well as its future perspectives. The aim of the article is dual. Firstly, it seeks to reveal the story of a valuable relic of railway heritage in Greece, largely unknown in Greece and abroad. Secondly, through the analysis of mixed-method research followed for the study of the complex under investigation, the article attempts to contribute to a deeper understanding of a modern, more comprehensive approach to railway heritage documentation and conservation.