In the aftermath of the Greek victories in the Balkan Wars (1912-1913), there was a need to unite the railway networks of southern Greece and Macedonia with a standard-gauge railway line, i.e., a railway with a track gauge of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in). Katerini was a 2nd-class station. The spacious ticket sales office was on the ground floor of the central two-storey structure. The stationmaster lived on the first floor. The single-storey wings included a passenger waiting room, the luggage storage area, a small coffee shop and additional office space. A track-side platform canopy provided shelter during inclement weather. In 1916 the construction of the railway line fell victim to the vicious politics of the First World War and the National Schism. As relations with the Allies deteriorated, the French engineering company had to withdraw. The Greek army took over and completed the project. Katerini railway station opened on September 2, 1916.