Odontotos Rack Railway

The Odontotos rack railway from Diakopto to Kalavryta and the unique route through the Gorge of Vouraikos river are of the most beautiful natural places of interest in Greece. It has been described as the most spectacular rail route in the Balkans, with a view to the deep blue of the Corinthian Bay and a course through the dense oak & pine forests, and the bridges over the steep cliffs, covering a distance of 22 Km from Diakopton to Kalavryta.

Its construction was decided by Charilaos Trikoupis, Greek Prime Minister, in 1889 as part of an ambitious plan for a railway network throughout Greece. The construction works began in 1889 and the inauguration took place on March 10th 1896. The line gauge is 75cm wide and this characteristic makes Odontotos the narrowest railway in the world. The total of the toothed parts is 3.400 m long and the maximum incline in these parts is 175%.

The trip lasts at least an hour, during which passengers are accompanied by Vouraikos River and its Gorge. This has been declared a Special Protection Area and the forest in it of Particular Beauty.

Next to the train lines there is a path that was used by civilians in the past. Today, it has been signposted with European Walking Route Ε4 symbols, used by hikers and mountaineers through an outstanding route that takes 6 hours to climb down and 7 hours to climb up.

On July 1st 2009 3 daily and 5 weekend trips were inaugurated with the 2 new trains by the Swiss company Stadler. Each train has 104 seats, 4 per row, and in addition the 2 trains can travel together transporting a total of 208 passengers.