The Alexandreia railway station belonged to the railway line built in the early 1890s to connect the port of Thessaloniki with Monastir (modern-day Bitola), the second most important commercial and military centre of Macedonia. At that time Alexandreia (also known as Gidas) was an insignificant village of 600 inhabitants, but the railway line led to a commercial boom. During the years of the Macedonian Struggle, the station was an important centre for the transport of weapons, ammunition and correspondence. In 1911, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed V Reşâd passed through Alexandreia on his way to Monastir. The students of Alexandreia and surrounding villages spotted the Sultan through the train windows and shouted, “Long live the Padishah”, a display of enthusiasm that greatly pleased the Sultan. During the First Balkan War, the railway station, which had a telegraph office, became the temporary headquarters of the Greek army.