PELION TRAIN

This 15 km line (Τρένο του Πηλίου/Treno tou Piliou) traverses magnificent landscapes, climbing from 150 to 396 m above sea level between Ano Lechonia and Melies. This is the most spectacular section of the old Volos-Melies line (29 km). Built between 1894 and 1903, this narrow-gauge (60 cm) line was operated until 1971 by the private Thessaly Railways. The section was reopened to tourists in 1996 by the national company, privatized in 2017 under the name Hellenic Train. The route is punctuated by large and small bends away from the road. At an average speed of 20 km/h, the four wooden carriages, pulled by a diesel engine, pass under an attractive stone bridge and pass through several elegant structures. The two most striking crossings are the Kalorema bridge, with its five stone arches 23 m high, and the Taxiarchis iron bridge. Spanning the small coastal river Taxiarchis, the latter is almost unique in the world: while the bridge is straight, the rails are curved. It is also known as the Chirico Bridge, since it was designed by the father of Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978). The engineer Evaristo de Chirico and his son spent several years in Pelion during construction. The journey takes 1h35. The train leaves Ano Lechonia at 10 a.m., crosses the Kalorema bridge, pauses at Ano Gatzea, climbs steeply and then crosses the Taxiarchis bridge shortly before reaching Melies. It leaves at 3pm and returns to Ano Lechonia at around 5.40pm.