DIAKOPTO-KALAVRYTA COG RAILWAY

Since 1896, this spectacular little railroad line (Οδοντωτός Σιδηρόδρομος Διακοπτού-Καλαβρύτων/Odontotos Sidirodromos Diakopto-Kalavryton) has traversed the magnificent gorges of the Vouraïkos. It stretches for 22.3 km, climbing from the seaside station of Diakopto to that of Kalavryta, 720 m above sea level. Designed in 1893 by Savoyard engineer Abel Hector Gotteland (1851-1925), then a member of the French Public Works Mission in Greece. This is the country's only rack-and-pinion railway, called "the toothed one" (odontotos) in Greek, and its rails are very narrow-gauge: 75 cm. The train travels at 40 km/h on conventional tracks, and at 12 km/h on the 3.6 km of tracks equipped with a rack-and-pinion system: to negotiate gradients of up to 17.5%, an additional toothed rail ensures the train's grip. You can enjoy breathtaking views of the gorge as you travel along the Vouraikos River. Crossing 55 bridges, six small tunnels and three closed stations, the journey takes 1 hour 10 minutes in both directions. Forty minutes and 13 km after leaving Diakopto, the train makes a 10-minute stop at the Mega Spileo station (Μέγα Σπήλαιο) in the hamlet of Kato Zachlorou (population approx. 40). It's here that you have to descend to reach the monastery of Mega Spileo on foot (1h30 walk).

Old French locomotives. The line originally belonged to the private Piraeus-Athens-Peloponnese railway company, and was used to transport minerals and passengers. In 1971, it became part of the national network, which was privatized in 2017 under the name Hellenic Train. The route has been closed several times, notably during modernization work in 2007-2009. On this occasion, the line was equipped with diesel railcars and locomotives from Swiss manufacturer Stadler. Some of the former French Cail (1891), Billard (1958) and Decauville (1967) locomotives are preserved in the Diakopto Station Museum, Kalavryta Station and the Athens Railway Museum. Today's trains can carry around 100 passengers. We recommend buying tickets online from the Hellenic Train website to be sure of getting seats in summer. All year round, there are six departures a day: at 9.52 a.m., 12.17 p.m. and 3.07 p.m. from Diakopto, at 11.04 a.m., 1.37 p.m. and 4.45 p.m. from Kalavryta. And there are two extra trains at weekends: at 13:39 and 16:48 from Diakopto, and at 15:04 and 18:41 from Kalavryta.