In uk.railway Arthur Figgis wrote:
And Ireland has actually got a renewed railway network out of it all.
How has, say, Greece got on in the same period?

Greece has got:

Double track electrified main line on about 2/3 of main N-S axis (up to
about 160km/h due to all the mountains) - previously severely speed
restricted twisty single line with no upgrades since 1950s.
Electrified routes in Macedonia
Athens suburban railway network (didn't exist before) and interchanges with
N/S and E/W axis routes
Athens tram
Athens metro extensions, including new link to new airport
Thessaloniki tram
Major renewals of metre gauge network in Pelopponnese and isolated network
near Messolonghi
~50% stock renewal
Opening of new Greece/Turkey passenger service
New high speed (as much as the geography will allow) route Athens-Patras
under construction

But of course OSE was haemorraging cash... partly because fares have
historically be heavily state subsidised (the train being a social service
the way that British rural buses are, Greek buses being semi-commercial
operations).

So the short term cost slashing has been to close the entire metre gauge
network (including the bit near Messolonghi that never saw a train) leaving
new trains and track to the mercy of metal thieves. Severe service cuts
including all international trains, a number of standard gauge routes
closed.

After making the above list, it's struck me how much was achieved despite
the mismanagement that pervades many projects (eg spend 5 years renewing a
section of metre gauge track, and then close it a few months after it
opened).

THeo