Some of the most stunning sea and mountain scenery in Greece can be enjoyed on this 131km/81.22 mile route, which is serviced by eight daily trains (four IC and four express) and is the main railpass user's route to Athens. Those travelling there for the first time on the evening train (which departs Patras a little before 8 pm) must be forewarned that they will get into Athens after midnight, when all public transportation shuts down, leaving the unwary subject to the sometimes rapacious machinations of taxi drivers and hotel touts. The majority of travellers use this route (which is the main Peloponnese line) just to get to Athens from Europe, often missing out on seeing the most beautiful Peloponnesian mountain areas on the way. The famous 22km/13.64 mile Diakofto-Kalavryta ride through the Voraikos River gorge on the 75cm cog railway, is highly recommended for both rail fans and adventurers and lovers of dramatic scenery. (See Kalavryta).
Beyond the OSE station in Patras, departing trains follow the docks to just before the huge International Port Mercuri Gate Six, where car ferries from all the major shipping companies can be glimpsed. Then the train passes through the OSE repair shops and storage tracks. This is where the old classic wooden narrow gauge sleeping cars are stored, which, much to the disappointment of many, are no longer used on overnight trains rides in the Peloponnese. One can also see old steam locomotives, retired only in the 1960s. In a few minutes, the OSE Rio Station is reached. The Rio-Andirio ferry, which crossed the waters between the Peloponnese and the mainland to the north at this point via a ferry trip of 45 minutes up until very recently, is now a thing of the past. In 1996 the construction of a multi-lane and multi-span suspension bridge was approved by the Greek parliament, to be jointly funded by the EU and Greece, and intended to provide all-weather passage for cars, trucks, pedestrians (with two pedestrian lanes, each 2meters/6.56feet wide) and possibly a rail line. A railway that had connected Antirio to Agrinion (passing through Messolonghi) in the prefecture of Etolo-Akarnania had been abandoned in the late 1960s. A two-lane service road planned for the new bridge, had the potential of being used as a railway line. Rio has two campgrounds, and is a good deal quieter than Patras for those wanting an overnight break in their journey at this point.
Rio-Aigion During this 40km stretch there are many steep cliffs up over the sea, below which are isolated sandy beaches, and the railways crosses rivers and streams that flow down from the northern slopes of Mt. Panahaiko. As the train pulls into the station at Aigion, the sea front is right there out the window. This town has a fair-sized population (maybe 25,000), but earthquake damage has taken a toll in this resort town and commercial port, which is one of the oldest settlements in the Peloponnese. There's a ferry crossing from here to Aghios Nikolaos three times a day, but with no buses on the other side. Those who drive across, however, will find this the closest crossing for Delphi. The last big earthquake was in 1995, but there are still many 19th century mansions and some fountains in the town. Overlooking the harbor, the Platia Psili Alonia (Square of the High Threshing Floors) is a nice place to sit at a café and enjoy the wonderful views over the Gulf of Corinth. The 1890 Market here was designed by Ziller and later converted into an archaeological museum with finds dating from the prehistoric founding of Aigion to the Roman era, which opened in 1994 was was damaged in the quake the following year. Local wine-tasting is possible at the Oenoforos Estate (Tel: 26910 29 415), located in the sparsely populated village of Ano Ziria. Both Rio and Aigion offer quiet, more traditional, and less touristic alternatives to Patras as places to stay overnight.
The Peloponnese by Train page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Why the Train, Trains Map, Peloponnese I, Peloponnese II, Central Greece, Thessaly, S. Macedonia, Northern Greece, Thrace, Train Routes, Train History
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