Thank you so much for visiting Greece! I hope you enjoyed your time here. As a Greek and as a trainspotter i feel i should apologize for the horrible graffiti problem. Underfunding and lack of strict laws unfortunately seem to encourage ''artists'' worldwide to express their ''splendor'' on trains. Please let me inform you that our railways have really been a work in progress for the last 30 years. Recession and constant drawbacks have slowed what should now be a sophisticated network. Also, our Desiro EMUs were supposed to feature the original Siemens interiors, with airline - style seats but the current desing prevailed. I am really looking forward to your ''InterCity'' trip report onboard the superb Siemens Viaggio Classic coaches.
Genuine question. Why is Greece's national operator TrainOSE owned by Trenitalia? How can that be allowed to happen? In my opinion, train services are public utility and should be state owned. It shouldn't be for profit driven. Is it because of the Greek debt crisis? I understand Greece was forced to implement austerity measures and sell lots of assets by EU during that period. Thanks.
@@dt8101 6 months late but to answer your question yes it shouldnt happen however greece is at a point were its depended on outside help mainly due to the debt but also the corruption many things that used to be public arent anymore due to the debt crisis however even if the train network has been privitised by an outside country it greatly benefited the network but not enough to the point were everything is clean and newif you have any questions feel free to ask also sorry for repsonding 6 months later lol
OMG!!! You came here in Greece. Our trains may not be that good but we're getting there, eventually. Thank you for the video!! Just to add something: The unused platforms weren't meter gauge they were the old standard gauge ones. Meter gauge was some 100 meters south of there in a different station building. Yes the person in the hut is railway staff their job is to MANUALLY change points on the rails so the train enters and exits where its supposed to. Yes manual points in 2021... And lastly yes the graffiti problem is huge here mainly due to open air storage for most of the trains. The only trains that are clean except for metro are two trainsets for the Athens to Thessaloniki route. And our new pendolinos which are stored in a refurbished facility thanks to trenitalia investment. And yes the trains are thought to be expensive here especially for greek standards they got a big bump in price when trenitalia got them some routes almost doubled in price, but they got cleaner and more punctual, its not enough though they are not even that clean we need some more improvement. I look forward for your next video and see what you think of it!
In late 00s I took a train exactly like this, between Thessaloniki and the inland city of Larissa. The trainset looked new and shiny at the time, unspoilt by graffiti, and the ticket was €10 for a 166km journey.
The Thessaloniki -Larisa regional line also uses the desiros used in the Athens-Halkida and Pireaus-Kiato Regional lines, as well as the one-and-a-half commuter routes between the airport, Pireaus and ano liosia
Kiato isn’t the final stop though. You can take from there another regional train that goes almost to Patras (Aigio) and take the bus from there to Patras. Also if you take the other regional train that I mentioned, you have the possibility to connect to a rack railway that goes through a valley up to the mountains on a scenic route, that is mostly for tourists. The connection for the rack train is from the station Diaokopto.
Really cool video. Although there are a few things to note: The old platforms that you see in Larissa Station actually served standard gauge tracks. The metric gauge tracks were served by the Peloponnese Station, slightly to the southwest, which is now abandoned. In the future, the space used by the old platforms will be renovated and will used by the missing platforms 1 to 6. The hut at 7:10 is used by the switch operator; the old standard gauge tracks used manual swithces. Now, I am not sure what kind of duties the switch operator has nowdays, but the one of the old platforms is used to load cars in autoracks, so the old tracks are not completely abandoned. The section of track, with the minimal separation from the street, is being modernised and will become underground, with four tracks. It is very interesting that you think the ticket was expensive, since the regional train is actually cheaper than the bus, on this route. Although, this shows that travel in Greece is generally kind of expensive, more than anything else.
The announcements were indeed very polite....I’ve noticed in several European travel vlogs(both train and plane) from various travellers(including yourself) that quite often when the various on board announcements are made in English that they are frequently recorded by what sounds to my ears like a native English speaker.....or perhaps a local person who speaks English (almost) without their own native accent...looking forward to the Thessaloniki trip as I hope to take that particular trip(and then on to Sofia..hopefully by train all the way)in the not too distant future...always a pleasure watching your videos...greetings from Australia...
Totally agree. On Freciarossa trains or Trenitalia Intercity, the english anoucements were very bad quality. But on this train is a pleasure to listen.
Nice! A small correction: the missing tracks 1 to 6 are not the old meter-gauge tracks that have been discontinued. These were at the "Peloponnese" station, very close to this one, a station that has closed. In fact tracks 1 and 2 were the main (standard gauge) tracks of the "Larissa" station. I understand that tracks 1 to 6 will be built in the future.
Larissa station was named after the Greek city of Larissa noth of Athens, the terminus of the Northern railway line at the border with Turkey. Yes Turkey. Larissa was the Last city of Greece. North of Larissa is the Pinios river and was the border of Greece and Turkey. Hence the name of the station. To the borderline ! Larissa station and all the line to Larissa was standard gauge from the beginning (circa 1860). Platforms 1 to 6 was standard gauge also. But very old. They build platforms 7 and so on recently. And they removed the old ones to renew them. There was another network of metric gauge line serving Peloponnese peninsula south of Athens (including Kiato Patras etc). And a second railway (Peloponnese) station not far away from Larissa station. All this network including the Station of Peloponnese, today is disused and the standard gauge is replacing it. The new line is commercialy opened up to Kiato and works up to Patras will finish soon. The metric Peloponnese station still exists today as a preserved building of National Heritage. All stations Aspropyrgos, Korinth, Kiato, and so on are brand new in different locations of the old metric ones, as the standard line has a different tracking from the old metric one. Metric line more than a century old cannot be replaced by standard modern line at the same location because of sharp curves of Metric and higher speeds of Standard. The old metric disused line and stations ages 170 years. From 1850. The landscape after Larissa station used to be agricultural fields and animal pastorales. The growth of the city of Athens transformed the fields into neighborhoods with residential buildings hence the proximity of the rails to the buildings. But the line was there for more than a century. The buildings came after. At that neighborhood currently there are works to transfer that section of the line underground, with four tracks, two for each direction. The surface will be replaced by parks, sports ventures, for the local community, after the removal of the rails. So this video will be part of the History of Ancient Athens ! Dogs are at the platforms because they found shelter in shadow, in hot summer, they like to watch humans and there is always the chance of some traveler to give them something to eat. I agree about the graffiti and the toilets. At least we gave you a nice beach in return 😜☺️
Pretty objective review! Per the dog you saw: they are most likely not strays, but kept by the station's staff. Dogs are "communally kept" in several contexts and situations in Greece, and having "station dogs" (or even "station cats") is not unusual :)
Greece is a beautiful country. I visited Athens about 2 years ago. Really enjoyed my time there. The metro was pretty efficient to use. The train ride looks lovely with those sea views. I agree with yourself and others about the graffiti. Looking forward to your next Greece upload :-)
Hi! Thanks for the report from Greece. The closed platforms are not metre gauge but older standard gauge tracks which may be functional after the refurbishment of the station. A few meters on the left side of the tracks there used to be the Athens Central station for the metre gauge, serving the Peloponesse.
Thank you for visiting our country! I'm sure that your noticed that we Greeks are struggling a bit on maintaining the public goods such as keeping the public transports in a good condition, that also happens in ton other things, I hope that as younger generations take the reins of the country, behaviors like these will belong to the past. So I hope you enjoyed your staying here and feel free to visit more places with train especially in the provinces!
The beginning of the trip in Athens feels like in Asia(Vietnam, Thailand) because is close to the streets :) Too shame that the Desiro EMU was full of graffiti. Nice scenic view.
@@dipanwitamandal7289 Spraying nonsense in public trains is not art, is vandalism. I travel with this train every day to go to my university and the graffiti makes it look ugly and dirty from the outside. Some Metro Line 1 trains are even worse having graffiti even on the inside of the cabins, the seats and the windows.
Oh wow, Larissa station now looks completely different to when I was there in 2017! The old platform at 3:05 (right next to the station building) was actually the main one, my train from Thessaloniki stopped there.
Took the train from Athens to Patras in July 1991, at the height of the tourist season, and out of hundreds of European rail trips I've taken it was by far the most crowded and chaotic. Literally packed in like sardines on a train with from memory three coaches, standing the whole time. Great views though. I'm pleased to see that the tracks are being refurbished and that the Athens to Patras service will eventually be restored, capable of a considerably faster speed than my 1991 loco.
In the early 90s, ARD (German national broadcaster) made an impressive series of "die Schönsten Bahnstrecken [Deutschlands | Europas | der Welt]", featuring "as is" driver's eye views. Some of these keep being reuploaded to TH-cam, as recognisable from the ARD logo top right(?). In Greece, they filmed "IC70", the DMU on the old winding (and charming!) journey from Athens (as others have mentioned: from track 1) to Thessaloniki, the line from Thessaloniki via Drama to "near the Turkish border" the narrow-gauge journey from Piraeus via Patra to Kalamata, the branch to Olympia, the return via Tripoli to Corinth, and the mountain railway from Diakofto to Kalavrita. I think that Athens gradually absorbed the land on both sides of that "street" route. The cabins were the offices of the minders of the many level-crossings, still active during ARD filming. I'm still amazed by the leap forward that the railways in Greece have made from ARD times till now. Yes, graffiti abounds, but also in the Netherlands (where I live) and Germany. And the lack of disposables in the train toilet may be covid-related. Anyway, nothing unique to Greece either. There are several TH-cam channels dedicated to Greek railways, including those of Hellenic Trainspotters and Sidirodromeas.
I have actually traveled the other way around some 17 year ago! From Patras to Corinth by use of the old metre gauge trains. It was a great experience and took hours and hours. At Corinth the train entered the old (wrong) station. Everybody needed to get back in the train and the raildriver put it in reverse. The dispatcher than changed the switches to the right track and we ended up in the station which is in your video...the train was filled up with people and animals (dogs, cats even some chicken) Shame OSE nearly went bankrupt and therefor the new line still hasn't been finished till Patras (although further than mentioned in your tripreport, you are now able to reach Aigio). The railway back than had its charm though! *wink* Nice video btw!!! :)
Previous experiences on Greek trains: 2006 ...metre guage from Patra to Olympia (very slow, especially getting out of Patra...level crossings, very bumpy; 1988...night train Athens to Thessaloniki...couchette, no AC, diesel smoke came into the compartment except when we stopped which made the compartment hot). The point is that they are trying to improve, but it's slow. In the works is the Pendolino was to start its Athens to Thessaloniki run last March, nothing yet. They're improved the line to handle faster trains, but not high speed; also, completion of the line from kiato to patra...the line out of Athens is to go underground until it reaches the suburbs where the lines split; the line into Patra is to go underground for the last several stops.
Yeah they have ambition but not much else. It's a shame Greece could benefit from a better and more efficient network. Be interesting to see when the pendos enter service 🇬🇷
Ahem, I don't see pendolinos getting into service anytime soon...it's all progressing at snail's pace. Enemy neighbor Turkey is certainly laughing at our train infrastructure as we speak. But then again, nothing was done over so many years, it will take a lot of time to catch up...
3:23 The old platforms (lines 1 - 6) used to serve the standard gauge line from Athens to Larissa (and then to Thessaloniki). Until 2018 trains from Athens Central would depart from these platforms (which weren't electrified). If you notice carefully you will see the old tracks merging with the tracks from lines 7 - 10 just after the station. When the new electrified segment of the station was opened (lines 7 - 10) the old ones were closed for renovation purposes. The metric gauge trains departed from a nearby station (fittingly named Peloponnese Station - Σταθμός Πελοποννήσου), which is currently disused. Essentially, Larissa Station was the standard gauge station for trains departing towards Larissa and Peloponnese Station was the metric gauge station for trains departing towards the Peloponnese region.
Generally, great job pal! There are so little reports on Greek Rail. As a Greek, I'd love to see more. As of the general state of the rails in Greece, it is unaccepted for European Standards. The goverment spent more money on highways, instead of finishing the modernisation of the network. That's why we have half finished infrastructure, somewhat modern trains, but full of graffiti etc. Generally, not acceptable...😪
This is a great rundown on what to expect on the train, thank you! It's very helpful, as there's not much info available on trains. Will try this train trip on our visit early 2024.
Really enjoyable trip report as I've never been to Greece, (yet !). Love the sights and atmosphere, the sea is so tempting, I hope you had decent swim too. Great Vlog.
Nice little video- thanks. I agree with you regarding the graffiti in Europe. It really is just vandalism and discusting. Even graffiti INSIDE THE CARS. Rome was just horrible for graffiti. Beautiful, ancient buildings just covered with this trash. Something should be done- you are correct, it is discouraging for tourists.
Have you been to Barcelona or any major spanish town? It's WAY worse than Rome in this regard. And it's getting worse every year. Soon there won't be anything clean to look at, it's so depressing...
The graffiti on that train though! Inside and out - terrible really. Apart from the train, I loved the beach at the end - beautiful clear waters, though I see you headed straight for the shade (as would I!) 🤣 Nice one mate.
People accepting this kind of ugly defacing of a main means of conveyance likely to be used by foreigners have no SHAME, no PRIDE and are probably deserving to live in such an degraded environment. Probably also unwilling to pay no matter what little tax fo the purpose of some maintenance and cleaning. I DO have in mind what they are facing everyday though. And I lament the shocking taxing structure of the island which practically exonerates the hugely wealthy state church and the Greek billionaires from paying their prorata contribution to the welfare of the people. Probably waiting for the Chinese to show them how to run their trains, the way they are running the Piraeus port, and planning a new fast railway connection northwards. With everybody, as a backdrop, cursing Beijing for colonizing Europe, on orders from Washington and Brussels.
The graffiti 😯🤨! If the “artists” are ever caught (highly doubtful) they should be made to scrub it off as punishment. Why must people destroy things that aren’t solely theirs? 🧐. The prize at the end, Max, looked like it was worth the trip. 😉👍🏻. Did you have a nice lunch along the sea?
You mentioned the old metre gauge railway - the Peloponnesos Railway with its little blue and gold carriages. I used the railway in the early 80s to go from Athens to Kalamata and was so pleased that Im did because the narrow line enabled the trains to snake around mountainsides and wind through wooded valleys crossing rushing torrents and it was one of the most scenic lines Im have ever travelled. I made sure I cam back the same way as I was blown away by the line's beauty. Sadly, it has now closed and it broke my heart to find out.
I rode the original meter guage line between Diakopto and Pyrgos almost 20 years ago. It was a slow journey, but a very scenic one. The more modern DMU we took south to Pyrgos was pleasant enough, but the loco hauled train we got back north wasn't equipped with air-conditioning. Not great in Greece, in July 😅😅
Great video as always and enjoyed watching today's trip report and Greece is a beautiful country ☺️, I would love to visit it in the future. and personally, I don't appreciate this artistic work on 4:55 exteriors as well as interiors of the train 5:11, I think this not only deteriorates the looks of the train but also hides some beautiful looking liveries too.
Graffiti is everywhere in the world but the pervasiveness of graffiti in Athens is on a different level. Actually, I like Athens more than Rome - both have graffiti "problems". I am just a tourist and I am just "passing by" these cities but I wish it would be a solvable "problem" for the property owners who actually see that as an eyesore and a reflection on people's attitude toward others' properties.
I first used this line as far as Argos (via Korinthos) in 1990. From Argos, I hiked along the derelict railway line to Nafplio, a distance of about 12 kilometres I imagine. At that time of course, the entire Peloponnese system was narrow gauge and was called SPAP, ( Piraeus Athens Peloponnese Railway.) In 2011 that entire system was closed apart from a commuter line around the city of Patra, and the Olympia line, both of which are still operational I believe. In the not too distant future, I hope to be able to travel this entire service from Patra to Athens, with an obligatory stop at Diakofto in order to travel on the spectacular line to Kalavryta, Greece's winter skiing resort. I mentioned Nafplio and the derelict line to Argos and onwards. In the mid 90's, the passenger service was restored, only to be closed again and made derelict again in 2011! However I read a recent report from the Greek transport ministry, to the effect that this service will be operational again, ultimately!
First, Athens Central old platforma used to be standard gauge, but not able to accomodate electrification and there were not enough so that's why there was the upgrade, which is half finished. The hut was for the men who switch the lines. Yes, singaling is also half finished.
It takes me back to 1989 (I am getting old...), interrail with a friend. From Patras to Athens after leaving the boat from Brindisi. Lots of interrailera and an awfully crowded train. And hot. And a lof guys with flyers of hotels. We ended up in a hotel in Athens, " sleeping on the roof". I took my contactlenses out and a drunk Greek looked at this and hepassedout when he saw my contactlenses😁. But also, a lot of friendly Greek people and the best burgers I have ever eaten! In a little Greek eating place (no M please!!!). And about the train and the toilet, it looks much, much, much, much better and cleaner than in 1989👍
I did the same trip in July 2012 and nothing has changed, except the price. They have not added another station in all those years. I just wonder how far the construction progressed to Patra. The "highway" / motorway to Patra was littered with detours and construction sites and we had to pay tolls.
Me and My dad this week are flying to Greece and for one day we will be traveling on the exact same route by train just getting off at Corinth. A little bit shorter though. This train review is letting me prepare for what to expect.
next to the main train station there is an older one from 1850. Trains used to travel from Athens to Peloponese. this station was so west European (Roman) style. In 1901 they create the modern but is so ungly
The train at 3:40 is the fatal Intercity that collided with a cargo train northeast of Larissa station in Tempes a few days ago Rip all those people who died
I live in Kiato, and I catch this train every Saturday night to go to Athens for its nightlife! I return with the first train in the morning back home, usually tipsy 😜 but I always enjoy the views! I was expecting more views in your video, but it's cool. Glad you enjoyed our beach! ❤️
Nice video! I don't understand, why people damage trains with "art", but also why the carriers doesn't care about. Nic to see Siemens desire, I like these units :-) Greece looks like a nice country, I hope I'll visit Greece sometimes :-)
Oh what a difference to old times.... I was there in 1990 (and 1992) by train from Germany, also travelling the hole Peloponnes-Railway (Narrow gauge).
1990 were two kinds of trains on the Peloponnes Railway: Modern Railcars with a little Bar without seats, and Loco-hauled trains with a "dining car" (with seats). The Dining car didn't have electric energy (except lights), so instead a refrigator it had a big wooden box (inside metal) also used as counter, filled with ice and different drinks in cans... It also had one(!) Camping gas cooker, fixed on a Windowsill. Here they changed allways between cooking Coffee and making Souvlaki (the only warm meal. It was WONDERFUL!!!
As of 2023, train services have greatly improved. The graffiti on trains have been mostly removed, albeit the interior does need some improvement. The price has been reduced from 11€ to 8,50€. Construction on the rail upgrades from being single-track to a 4 track upon entering Athens Central (Larissa Station) has restarted although in a bit of a slow progression. The people in the hut are actually track switchers. Yes the tracks in the station are still manually switched. TrainOSE has changed been renamed to Hellenic Train.
So, since 2017 the main railway company of Greece belongs to the Italian group FS (Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group) . Let's hope that they will eventually clean trains from graffiti, throw away beggars from the trains and improve service... Nice scenery and nice video in all.
What app did you use to calculate the speed of the train? Railway in Greece has many problems, accident at Tempi valley took place in 2023 with 57 dead, the trains face many problems (some people call the company Hellenic bus instead of Hellenic train, because sometimes passengers continue their route with bus) and have problem with graffiti as you showed as well. After Italians took it, it is even worse unfortunatelly. Hope next time you use a greek train it will be much better.
Great video. I'm not surprised the railways are under-reported though, if the main station for a city of 3 million people only has four platforms. Railways obviously do not play a big part in Greek transport. Please don't give in to the pressure to be like everybody else and do a voice-over. The captions give your videos a distinct style that I, for one, prefer.
Chris wood, in a few years the station is going to have a total of 10 platforms. And despite that, you should remember that the train in Greece can’t develop as much as in the rest of Europe, as we can’t have international connections due to our geographical place on the map. Although, the passenger sea port is one of the biggest in Europe and we don’t even compare it to others. So the comparison of the train in Greece to a country of the Central Europe has no point at all.
Yes man, I completely agree, that disgusting graffiti shouldn't be there at all. You are right, very expensive for a graffitted train... even inside! Dogs...?? Maybe they have in-advance ticket discount... Indeed, that's quite a beautiful beach, with little round rocks, so you don't have to worry about ending up all sandy, cool...!
I used to take regional trains in Italy. I find the conditions of Greek regional train as you shot in this video are much better than those on the Italian ones. Probably that's why the price is also a bit higher.
The Italian railway coverage is much better than the Greek one , plus, there are many choices when it comes to Italian trains, you can get the high speed trains like Italotreno 🚄 and Trenitalia Frecce🚄🚆, I think you probably got the regional train 🚃 which is a bad option because the trains are old and cheap...
@@vincewoo3415 trenitalia is slowly restyling them and if you are lucky you could catch the ones called “pop” and “rock” (hitachi ones), and these are very clean and comfortable but yeah, if you catch the old ones.. those aren’t so good
I note many of the commenters bemoaning the graffiti have never been to Greece, because if they had, they’d know they haven’t seen the half of it! It is a ubiquitous presence throughout mainland Greece, from the most prestigious parts of Athens to the smallest towns, and all surfaces in between. It’s not immediately obvious whether Greek public opinion is tolerant of it as part of some libertarian ‘freedom of expression’ thinking, or considers it a scourge that they despair of their malfunctioning state ever doing anything about. This, in a country where tourism is 20% of the economy and where successive tourism ministers keep announcing the intention to promote year-round tourism (which means: the mainland)
Didn't you get the cleaned out train? Bummer! On a side note: it's a shame that Greece hasn't invested in railways. While we have some of the most advanced motorways, sea ports and airports in the world, we pretty much haven't invested in railways at all. While it could be really helpful. The only decent ones are the suburban railways and the route of Athens towards Thessaloniki. But much more should be done.
Slightly different temperature but the North Sea at Filey today was similarly blue and the miles of sand much nicer. Always enjoy your videos. Thank you for your efforts. 👍🏻🏴
@@NonstopEurotrip North Beach Bridlington, Bempton R.S.P.B. (June onwards Gannet’s nesting), and Whitby Beach. All accessible by train. Stay Safe. 👍🏻🏴
ah, that's eurotrip nonstop, that's the video I was talking about in my previous comment. AIE Aie Aie. South. Yes, you did well to leave the noises of the passengers, so we can see what a trip report is. A trip report with nothing is not a suitable trip report. Personally, and this is only my opinion, I don't like this kind of landscapes at all, I leave the pleasure to others. Otherwise, you showed everything very well, everything very well explained. Thanks to you !!! Thank you.
So the line has recently been electrified to allow electric trains to operate on. No wonder Siemens have built trains to be so quiet, comfortable and quick.
Back in the day I would go from Athens to Kyparissia. What a dumpster train that was. lol. Gets me is they can't even put TP and hand towels in the toilet. Advice: bring your own.
I think there might have been a 🐈 lol, there is an onward local (diesel) train but the bus is much quicker and direct to Patras. Unsure of timescale for fully opening, information is scarse! 🇬🇷
The full line to Patras will "probably" (here ia Greece, you are never sure for public works) open in 2025, and this because the EU threatens to ask to give the billions, that it spent for this line in the 00s, back, so the goverment will try to avoid that embarassment🤣
Hi! I'm here again, watching this video, even if I'm unsubscribed due to my job practices until just before Christmas (The 17th of December to be exact) 2:40 It's called Pireaus, or something like this in English. If a Greek subscriber watches this, please reply me if I named Pireaus correctly 6:50 The Greek Crisis also touches the railways 9:23 A traffic jam, like the UK cars searching for petrol right now 12:13 It's "circa", not "cerca" 14:39 That clip of the beach it's beautiful, like the beaches on the Spanish Mediterranean Coast Video's final score: 9
Greece in the 90s had low level platforms, but as the network was left half modernised, there is the anomaly that some stations are low, some high and some middle🤣 The train tries, TRIES to cater for all😅🤣
Nice journey & beautiful scenery as well though shame about the graffiti what Athens is meant to be a nice city are the fares quite cheap in Greece even as it is part of the eurozone? .😌
My god! The graffity-filth problem is even worse than in Spain! And believe me, here in Spain it is terrible. Fortunately, not so much on passenger trains, but freight trains and and any vertical surface of the rest of infrastructures is spoilt!
I think those graffities are actually done on purpose. I kind of like them..They don't seem to look like they were made in some kind of heist as they are well planned and nicely done which means the owners/operators didn't mind it, There is also one advantage to this; if the train is dirty it can't really be seen. which in hot, dry and kind of dusty country like Greece is a big deal and common problem.
Thank you so much for visiting Greece! I hope you enjoyed your time here. As a Greek and as a trainspotter i feel i should apologize for the horrible graffiti problem. Underfunding and lack of strict laws unfortunately seem to encourage ''artists'' worldwide to express their ''splendor'' on trains. Please let me inform you that our railways have really been a work in progress for the last 30 years. Recession and constant drawbacks have slowed what should now be a sophisticated network. Also, our Desiro EMUs were supposed to feature the original Siemens interiors, with airline - style seats but the current desing prevailed. I am really looking forward to your ''InterCity'' trip report onboard the superb Siemens Viaggio Classic coaches.
Thank you for your lovely comment 😊
Genuine question. Why is Greece's national operator TrainOSE owned by Trenitalia? How can that be allowed to happen? In my opinion, train services are public utility and should be state owned. It shouldn't be for profit driven. Is it because of the Greek debt crisis? I understand Greece was forced to implement austerity measures and sell lots of assets by EU during that period. Thanks.
@@dt8101 Yes
@@dt8101 airports and ports as well...
@@dt8101 6 months late but to answer your question yes it shouldnt happen however greece is at a point were its depended on outside help mainly due to the debt but also the corruption many things that used to be public arent anymore due to the debt crisis however even if the train network has been privitised by an outside country it greatly benefited the network but not enough to the point were everything is clean and newif you have any questions feel free to ask also sorry for repsonding 6 months later lol
OMG!!! You came here in Greece. Our trains may not be that good but we're getting there, eventually.
Thank you for the video!!
Just to add something: The unused platforms weren't meter gauge they were the old standard gauge ones. Meter gauge was some 100 meters south of there in a different station building.
Yes the person in the hut is railway staff their job is to MANUALLY change points on the rails so the train enters and exits where its supposed to. Yes manual points in 2021...
And lastly yes the graffiti problem is huge here mainly due to open air storage for most of the trains. The only trains that are clean except for metro are two trainsets for the Athens to Thessaloniki route. And our new pendolinos which are stored in a refurbished facility thanks to trenitalia investment.
And yes the trains are thought to be expensive here especially for greek standards they got a big bump in price when trenitalia got them some routes almost doubled in price, but they got cleaner and more punctual, its not enough though they are not even that clean we need some more improvement.
I look forward for your next video and see what you think of it!
Excellent! Thanks for the information ℹ️☺️
If we could get rid of that thing we call "Athens central station" it would be a great move forward. Έλεος πια μ΄αυτό το τσαντίρι !!
@@that90skid72 😂😂😂
In late 00s I took a train exactly like this, between Thessaloniki and the inland city of Larissa. The trainset looked new and shiny at the time, unspoilt by graffiti, and the ticket was €10 for a 166km journey.
Bargain ☺️🇬🇷
These trains were built in 2004-2009 in Greece and Germany, so it's the same
The Thessaloniki -Larisa regional line also uses the desiros used in the Athens-Halkida and Pireaus-Kiato Regional lines, as well as the one-and-a-half commuter routes between the airport, Pireaus and ano liosia
Kiato isn’t the final stop though. You can take from there another regional train that goes almost to Patras (Aigio) and take the bus from there to Patras. Also if you take the other regional train that I mentioned, you have the possibility to connect to a rack railway that goes through a valley up to the mountains on a scenic route, that is mostly for tourists. The connection for the rack train is from the station Diaokopto.
Are you saying they extended the line?
The rack and pinion train from Diakofto to Kalavryta brings tourists to the ski areas around Kalavryta.
I was going to go to Diaokopto but just didn't have the time, this trip! Also the RRB is much quicker to Patras.
@@lovecuba2 I am from Athens I'm going to Aigio often. And yes you can change train from Kiato to go to Aigio!
@@ΆνναΒολπάνου Could you share a video, please. I'd love to see the " new " line.
Really cool video. Although there are a few things to note:
The old platforms that you see in Larissa Station actually served standard gauge tracks. The metric gauge tracks were served by the Peloponnese Station, slightly to the southwest, which is now abandoned. In the future, the space used by the old platforms will be renovated and will used by the missing platforms 1 to 6.
The hut at 7:10 is used by the switch operator; the old standard gauge tracks used manual swithces. Now, I am not sure what kind of duties the switch operator has nowdays, but the one of the old platforms is used to load cars in autoracks, so the old tracks are not completely abandoned.
The section of track, with the minimal separation from the street, is being modernised and will become underground, with four tracks.
It is very interesting that you think the ticket was expensive, since the regional train is actually cheaper than the bus, on this route. Although, this shows that travel in Greece is generally kind of expensive, more than anything else.
Thanks for the lovely and Informative comment! 👍🏻😎
The announcements were indeed very polite....I’ve noticed in several European travel vlogs(both train and plane) from various travellers(including yourself) that quite often when the various on board announcements are made in English that they are frequently recorded by what sounds to my ears like a native English speaker.....or perhaps a local person who speaks English (almost) without their own native accent...looking forward to the Thessaloniki trip as I hope to take that particular trip(and then on to Sofia..hopefully by train all the way)in the not too distant future...always a pleasure watching your videos...greetings from Australia...
Totally agree. On Freciarossa trains or Trenitalia Intercity, the english anoucements were very bad quality.
But on this train is a pleasure to listen.
Absolutely, yes! The Sofia train was suspended when I travelled, or I would have done it too 😊
The Frecciarossa English announcements are borderline aggressive 😂
The announcementa to Pireaus on my previous TrainOSE trip were very polite. The Pireaus station was so nice.
Nice! A small correction: the missing tracks 1 to 6 are not the old meter-gauge tracks that have been discontinued. These were at the "Peloponnese" station, very close to this one, a station that has closed. In fact tracks 1 and 2 were the main (standard gauge) tracks of the "Larissa" station. I understand that tracks 1 to 6 will be built in the future.
Larissa station was named after the Greek city of Larissa noth of Athens, the terminus of the Northern railway line at the border with Turkey. Yes Turkey. Larissa was the Last city of Greece. North of Larissa is the Pinios river and was the border of Greece and Turkey. Hence the name of the station. To the borderline !
Larissa station and all the line to Larissa was standard gauge from the beginning (circa 1860).
Platforms 1 to 6 was standard gauge also. But very old.
They build platforms 7 and so on recently. And they removed the old ones to renew them.
There was another network of metric gauge line serving Peloponnese peninsula south of Athens (including Kiato Patras etc).
And a second railway (Peloponnese) station not far away from Larissa station.
All this network including the Station of Peloponnese, today is disused and the standard gauge is replacing it. The new line is commercialy opened up to Kiato and works up to Patras will finish soon.
The metric Peloponnese station still exists today as a preserved building of National Heritage.
All stations Aspropyrgos, Korinth, Kiato, and so on are brand new in different locations of the old metric ones, as the standard line has a different tracking from the old metric one.
Metric line more than a century old cannot be replaced by standard modern line at the same location because of sharp curves of Metric and higher speeds of Standard.
The old metric disused line and stations ages 170 years. From 1850.
The landscape after Larissa station used to be agricultural fields and animal pastorales. The growth of the city of Athens transformed the fields into neighborhoods with residential buildings hence the proximity of the rails to the buildings. But the line was there for more than a century. The buildings came after.
At that neighborhood currently there are works to transfer that section of the line underground, with four tracks, two for each direction. The surface will be replaced by parks, sports ventures, for the local community, after the removal of the rails. So this video will be part of the History of Ancient Athens !
Dogs are at the platforms because they found shelter in shadow, in hot summer, they like to watch humans and there is always the chance of some traveler to give them something to eat.
I agree about the graffiti and the toilets.
At least we gave you a nice beach in return 😜☺️
Lol thanks for a lovely comment and very interesting Information! And yes, a lovely beach 🏖️ 🍻😎
Pretty objective review! Per the dog you saw: they are most likely not strays, but kept by the station's staff. Dogs are "communally kept" in several contexts and situations in Greece, and having "station dogs" (or even "station cats") is not unusual :)
Greece is a beautiful country. I visited Athens about 2 years ago. Really enjoyed my time there. The metro was pretty efficient to use. The train ride looks lovely with those sea views. I agree with yourself and others about the graffiti. Looking forward to your next Greece upload :-)
Thank you Cameron 😊
Hi! Thanks for the report from Greece. The closed platforms are not metre gauge but older standard gauge tracks which may be functional after the refurbishment of the station.
A few meters on the left side of the tracks there used to be the Athens Central station for the metre gauge, serving the Peloponesse.
Ah excellent, I couldn't find much information on it and it was conflicting. Thank you 🙏🏻
Thank you for visiting our country! I'm sure that your noticed that we Greeks are struggling a bit on maintaining the public goods such as keeping the public transports in a good condition, that also happens in ton other things, I hope that as younger generations take the reins of the country, behaviors like these will belong to the past. So I hope you enjoyed your staying here and feel free to visit more places with train especially in the provinces!
I hope so too 😁
The beginning of the trip in Athens feels like in Asia(Vietnam, Thailand) because is close to the streets :) Too shame that the Desiro EMU was full of graffiti.
Nice scenic view.
I know what you mean Alex 😄🇬🇷
Graffiti is an art. But yeah, this one contains too much.
Well a lot of trains in The Balkans are in grafitti😐🙄
@@dipanwitamandal7289 Spraying nonsense in public trains is not art, is vandalism. I travel with this train every day to go to my university and the graffiti makes it look ugly and dirty from the outside. Some Metro Line 1 trains are even worse having graffiti even on the inside of the cabins, the seats and the windows.
@@panzerivausfg4062 The bums that do "grafitti" should be shot on sight.
Oh wow, Larissa station now looks completely different to when I was there in 2017! The old platform at 3:05 (right next to the station building) was actually the main one, my train from Thessaloniki stopped there.
Oh wow, interesting 👍🏻
Great trip ... and glad you missed the bus for the beach. It deserves a separate video by itself. Thanks much!
You're welcome 😁
Beautiful sea views. Lovely beach. Very enjoyable. Thanks
Thank you Lynne! Glad you enjoyed it ☺️
Took the train from Athens to Patras in July 1991, at the height of the tourist season, and out of hundreds of European rail trips I've taken it was by far the most crowded and chaotic. Literally packed in like sardines on a train with from memory three coaches, standing the whole time. Great views though. I'm pleased to see that the tracks are being refurbished and that the Athens to Patras service will eventually be restored, capable of a considerably faster speed than my 1991 loco.
Wow that doesn't sound fun 🤣
In the early 90s, ARD (German national broadcaster) made an impressive series of "die Schönsten Bahnstrecken [Deutschlands | Europas | der Welt]", featuring "as is" driver's eye views. Some of these keep being reuploaded to TH-cam, as recognisable from the ARD logo top right(?).
In Greece, they filmed "IC70", the DMU on the old winding (and charming!) journey from Athens (as others have mentioned: from track 1) to Thessaloniki, the line from Thessaloniki via Drama to "near the Turkish border" the narrow-gauge journey from Piraeus via Patra to Kalamata, the branch to Olympia, the return via Tripoli to Corinth, and the mountain railway from Diakofto to Kalavrita.
I think that Athens gradually absorbed the land on both sides of that "street" route. The cabins were the offices of the minders of the many level-crossings, still active during ARD filming.
I'm still amazed by the leap forward that the railways in Greece have made from ARD times till now. Yes, graffiti abounds, but also in the Netherlands (where I live) and Germany. And the lack of disposables in the train toilet may be covid-related. Anyway, nothing unique to Greece either.
There are several TH-cam channels dedicated to Greek railways, including those of Hellenic Trainspotters and Sidirodromeas.
Thanks I'll check them out 😎
Wow! What a beach!!! Gravel instead of sand. Looks like fun!!!
I have actually traveled the other way around some 17 year ago! From Patras to Corinth by use of the old metre gauge trains. It was a great experience and took hours and hours. At Corinth the train entered the old (wrong) station. Everybody needed to get back in the train and the raildriver put it in reverse. The dispatcher than changed the switches to the right track and we ended up in the station which is in your video...the train was filled up with people and animals (dogs, cats even some chicken)
Shame OSE nearly went bankrupt and therefor the new line still hasn't been finished till Patras (although further than mentioned in your tripreport, you are now able to reach Aigio). The railway back than had its charm though! *wink*
Nice video btw!!! :)
Thanks! Sounds like great fun 🤗
Previous experiences on Greek trains: 2006 ...metre guage from Patra to Olympia (very slow, especially getting out of Patra...level crossings, very bumpy; 1988...night train Athens to Thessaloniki...couchette, no AC, diesel smoke came into the compartment except when we stopped which made the compartment hot). The point is that they are trying to improve, but it's slow. In the works is the Pendolino was to start its Athens to Thessaloniki run last March, nothing yet. They're improved the line to handle faster trains, but not high speed; also, completion of the line from kiato to patra...the line out of Athens is to go underground until it reaches the suburbs where the lines split; the line into Patra is to go underground for the last several stops.
Yeah they have ambition but not much else. It's a shame Greece could benefit from a better and more efficient network. Be interesting to see when the pendos enter service 🇬🇷
Ahem, I don't see pendolinos getting into service anytime soon...it's all progressing at snail's pace. Enemy neighbor Turkey is certainly laughing at our train infrastructure as we speak. But then again, nothing was done over so many years, it will take a lot of time to catch up...
3:23 The old platforms (lines 1 - 6) used to serve the standard gauge line from Athens to Larissa (and then to Thessaloniki). Until 2018 trains from Athens Central would depart from these platforms (which weren't electrified). If you notice carefully you will see the old tracks merging with the tracks from lines 7 - 10 just after the station. When the new electrified segment of the station was opened (lines 7 - 10) the old ones were closed for renovation purposes. The metric gauge trains departed from a nearby station (fittingly named Peloponnese Station - Σταθμός Πελοποννήσου), which is currently disused. Essentially, Larissa Station was the standard gauge station for trains departing towards Larissa and Peloponnese Station was the metric gauge station for trains departing towards the Peloponnese region.
Thanks for the information!
Generally, great job pal! There are so little reports on Greek Rail. As a Greek, I'd love to see more. As of the general state of the rails in Greece, it is unaccepted for European Standards. The goverment spent more money on highways, instead of finishing the modernisation of the network. That's why we have half finished infrastructure, somewhat modern trains, but full of graffiti etc. Generally, not acceptable...😪
Absolutely yes!
This is a great rundown on what to expect on the train, thank you! It's very helpful, as there's not much info available on trains. Will try this train trip on our visit early 2024.
Glad it was helpful!
The locomotive on the first train is the same as the 5600 we have in Portugal! Very cool, Greece!
Absolutely 🤗😎
Really enjoyable trip report as I've never been to Greece, (yet !). Love the sights and atmosphere, the sea is so tempting, I hope you had decent swim too. Great Vlog.
Thank you Norman! Greece is lovely and yes, I did go for a nice swim 😂👍🏻
Nice little video- thanks. I agree with you regarding the graffiti in Europe. It really is just vandalism and discusting. Even graffiti INSIDE THE CARS. Rome was just horrible for graffiti. Beautiful, ancient buildings just covered with this trash. Something should be done- you are correct, it is discouraging for tourists.
Have you been to Barcelona or any major spanish town? It's WAY worse than Rome in this regard. And it's getting worse every year. Soon there won't be anything clean to look at, it's so depressing...
France and Italy are worse than Spain, in my experience
I think the dogs may have sought the shade of the platform canopy.
I don't blame them 😂
The graffiti on that train though! Inside and out - terrible really. Apart from the train, I loved the beach at the end - beautiful clear waters, though I see you headed straight for the shade (as would I!) 🤣 Nice one mate.
I headed for the sea then the beer 😂
People accepting this kind of ugly defacing of a main means of conveyance likely to be used by foreigners have no SHAME, no PRIDE and are probably deserving to live in such an degraded environment. Probably also unwilling to pay no matter what little tax fo the purpose of some maintenance and cleaning. I DO have in mind what they are facing everyday though. And I lament the shocking taxing structure of the island which practically exonerates the hugely wealthy state church and the Greek billionaires from paying their prorata contribution to the welfare of the people. Probably waiting for the Chinese to show them how to run their trains, the way they are running the Piraeus port, and planning a new fast railway connection northwards. With everybody, as a backdrop, cursing Beijing for colonizing Europe, on orders from Washington and Brussels.
@@liguobu229 wow you sinobots are popping up everywhere parroting away lol
@@NonstopEurotrip where is the beach at the end? Thanks. just subscribed you.
The graffiti 😯🤨! If the “artists” are ever caught (highly doubtful) they should be made to scrub it off as punishment. Why must people destroy things that aren’t solely theirs? 🧐. The prize at the end, Max, looked like it was worth the trip. 😉👍🏻. Did you have a nice lunch along the sea?
Oh I completely agree Rob! The swim, the beer and the food was lovely 🤩
No. The bums that do the graffiti should be shot on sight.
You mentioned the old metre gauge railway - the Peloponnesos Railway with its little blue and gold carriages. I used the railway in the early 80s to go from Athens to Kalamata and was so pleased that Im did because the narrow line enabled the trains to snake around mountainsides and wind through wooded valleys crossing rushing torrents and it was one of the most scenic lines Im have ever travelled. I made sure I cam back the same way as I was blown away by the line's beauty. Sadly, it has now closed and it broke my heart to find out.
I know, I would have loved to!!
I rode the original meter guage line between Diakopto and Pyrgos almost 20 years ago. It was a slow journey, but a very scenic one. The more modern DMU we took south to Pyrgos was pleasant enough, but the loco hauled train we got back north wasn't equipped with air-conditioning. Not great in Greece, in July 😅😅
Oh god no 🥵
Did not try the trains in Athens but sure will on next visit to Athens
Great video as always and enjoyed watching today's trip report and Greece is a beautiful country ☺️, I would love to visit it in the future. and personally, I don't appreciate this artistic work on 4:55 exteriors as well as interiors of the train 5:11, I think this not only deteriorates the looks of the train but also hides some beautiful looking liveries too.
I agree Rahill, I can't stand graffiti! Greece is certainly a lovely country 🇬🇷🤗
@Rahil Hill I would like to go to Greece as well.
Graffiti's have date "2018" next to if you watch closely on both IC and Desiro trains. Guess that says something about how often they get removed.
Graffiti is everywhere in the world but the pervasiveness of graffiti in Athens is on a different level. Actually, I like Athens more than Rome - both have graffiti "problems". I am just a tourist and I am just "passing by" these cities but I wish it would be a solvable "problem" for the property owners who actually see that as an eyesore and a reflection on people's attitude toward others' properties.
Exactly, it's a terrible scourge
Great video !!
Thanks 👍🏻
I was hoping that you would show the crossing of the Corinth channel 😓.
Sorry 🤦🏻♂️😎
Great video.👋
I first used this line as far as Argos (via Korinthos) in 1990. From Argos, I hiked along the derelict railway line to Nafplio, a distance of about 12 kilometres I imagine. At that time of course, the entire Peloponnese system was narrow gauge and was called SPAP, ( Piraeus Athens Peloponnese Railway.) In 2011 that entire system was closed apart from a commuter line around the city of Patra, and the Olympia line, both of which are still operational I believe. In the not too distant future, I hope to be able to travel this entire service from Patra to Athens, with an obligatory stop at Diakofto in order to travel on the spectacular line to Kalavryta, Greece's winter skiing resort. I mentioned Nafplio and the derelict line to Argos and onwards. In the mid 90's, the passenger service was restored, only to be closed again and made derelict again in 2011! However I read a recent report from the Greek transport ministry, to the effect that this service will be operational again, ultimately!
Very interesting! Unfortunately I didn't have more time on this trip to do some more exploring, it was a bit of an Add-on!
One of the dogs is the station chief and the other is an undercover police officer. Thanks for the ride.
Wonderful beach.
😂😂😂😂😂
First, Athens Central old platforma used to be standard gauge, but not able to accomodate electrification and there were not enough so that's why there was the upgrade, which is half finished. The hut was for the men who switch the lines. Yes, singaling is also half finished.
Ah thank you 🙏🏻
I don't mind the grafitti if it is well done. A healthy artistic sub culture is not a thing to be overly policed imho
Not on trains tho..
It takes me back to 1989 (I am getting old...), interrail with a friend. From Patras to Athens after leaving the boat from Brindisi. Lots of interrailera and an awfully crowded train. And hot. And a lof guys with flyers of hotels. We ended up in a hotel in Athens, " sleeping on the roof". I took my contactlenses out and a drunk Greek looked at this and hepassedout when he saw my contactlenses😁. But also, a lot of friendly Greek people and the best burgers I have ever eaten! In a little Greek eating place (no M please!!!). And about the train and the toilet, it looks much, much, much, much better and cleaner than in 1989👍
Oh wow what an experience 😂🇬🇷
if I'm not mistaken TRAINOSE is managed by the Italian operator TRENITALIA.
It is, as mentioned in the video...
@@NonstopEurotrip thx
I did the same trip in July 2012 and nothing has changed, except the price. They have not added another station in all those years. I just wonder how far the construction progressed to Patra. The "highway" / motorway to Patra was littered with detours and construction sites and we had to pay tolls.
Will be nice when it's open and electric all the way 🙂
Me and My dad this week are flying to Greece and for one day we will be traveling on the exact same route by train just getting off at Corinth. A little bit shorter though. This train review is letting me prepare for what to expect.
Excellent! Have a great trip ☺️🙏🏻
@@NonstopEurotrip Thank you. I love all of your videos.
Could you pls do more Dutch routes and stations? Thanks! ☺️
I will, next year!
next to the main train station there is an older one from 1850. Trains used to travel from Athens to Peloponese.
this station was so west European (Roman) style. In 1901 they create the modern but is so ungly
Ah excellent, I did wonder! 😄
I am not sure when you travelled but I believe DMU services are now running between Kiato-Aigio, but this depends on covid
Yes, with the GTWs, but the bus to Patra is faster and direct, I believe...
The train at 3:40 is the fatal Intercity that collided with a cargo train northeast of Larissa station in Tempes a few days ago Rip all those people who died
😥😥😥
I live in Kiato, and I catch this train every Saturday night to go to Athens for its nightlife! I return with the first train in the morning back home, usually tipsy 😜 but I always enjoy the views! I was expecting more views in your video, but it's cool. Glad you enjoyed our beach! ❤️
Thank you 🙏🏻💖
Do you know when the Diminio station is scheduled to open?
Great video , I'm looking forward to seeing the Thessaloniki one next 😀😀😅👍
I'm looking forward to editing it tbh!! 😎
Nice video! I don't understand, why people damage trains with "art", but also why the carriers doesn't care about. Nic to see Siemens desire, I like these units :-) Greece looks like a nice country, I hope I'll visit Greece sometimes :-)
Thanks mate! Greece is a nice place but not really the train scene of most of the rest of Europe 😎
3:13 actually those tracks were standard gauge as well, the metre/narrow gauge tracks were located at a nearby station
Thanks for the gen, supreme leader 🙏🏻
@@NonstopEurotrip your welcome
Great trip report
Thanks ☺️
Great video💛Nice train.
Thanks 👍🏻
Actually the missing lines were standard gauge, just old. Not very long ago the trains went by mainly on line 1 and 3. The new lines are now used.
Ah thank you Chris 😃
Oh what a difference to old times....
I was there in 1990 (and 1992) by train from Germany,
also travelling the hole Peloponnes-Railway (Narrow gauge).
I would have loved to do that 😊
1990 were two kinds of trains on the Peloponnes Railway: Modern Railcars with a little Bar without seats, and Loco-hauled trains with a "dining car" (with seats). The Dining car didn't have electric energy (except lights), so instead a refrigator it had a big wooden box (inside metal) also used as counter, filled with ice and different drinks in cans... It also had one(!) Camping gas cooker, fixed on a Windowsill.
Here they changed allways between cooking Coffee and making Souvlaki (the only warm meal. It was WONDERFUL!!!
@@heinrichackermann4000 wow that sounds amazing 🤗👍🏻
As of 2023, train services have greatly improved. The graffiti on trains have been mostly removed, albeit the interior does need some improvement. The price has been reduced from 11€ to 8,50€. Construction on the rail upgrades from being single-track to a 4 track upon entering Athens Central (Larissa Station) has restarted although in a bit of a slow progression.
The people in the hut are actually track switchers. Yes the tracks in the station are still manually switched. TrainOSE has changed been renamed to Hellenic Train.
Thoughts and prayers with all the people and families affected in the rail tragedy 🙏🏻🇬🇷💙🤍
08:35 Stray dogs are everywhere in Greece. Most probably are also the guards of the station
😂😂😂
Interesting! Would like to see more of the countryside!
Point taken 🙏🏻
Awesone scenery!! Great ride for a short regional train. Not fond of the artwork on the trains. Thanks Max for sharing😀😀♥️♥️
Cracking little route 😁
@@NonstopEurotripGreat😀😀♥️♥️
Thank you soo much for showing my homeland,Korinthos! I have Taken This Train Twice I think,but as you said,it's not that good in general
You are welcome 😊
How to book ticket from Athens to Kiato. If I get down at Kiato, what's the hotel option and what about further journey to Patras
Please contact andy@discoverbyrail.com for all your travel agenting needs... ✅
Great video
Thanks! 😎
I really love greek trains aswell german trains but these greek trains raise my Attention
😄👍🏻🇬🇷
So, since 2017 the main railway company of Greece belongs to the Italian group FS (Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group) . Let's hope that they will eventually clean trains from graffiti, throw away beggars from the trains and improve service... Nice scenery and nice video in all.
Yes hopefully! 🙏🏻
What app did you use to calculate the speed of the train?
Railway in Greece has many problems, accident at Tempi valley took place in 2023 with 57 dead, the trains face many problems (some people call the company Hellenic bus instead of Hellenic train, because sometimes passengers continue their route with bus) and have problem with graffiti as you showed as well. After Italians took it, it is even worse unfortunatelly.
Hope next time you use a greek train it will be much better.
Just a generic android speed app. Yeah that accident happened not long after I rode the Athens Thessaloniki train 👀
Great video. I'm not surprised the railways are under-reported though, if the main station for a city of 3 million people only has four platforms. Railways obviously do not play a big part in Greek transport.
Please don't give in to the pressure to be like everybody else and do a voice-over. The captions give your videos a distinct style that I, for one, prefer.
Absolutely yes, as my majority audience is non native English speakers, I won't be going voiceover, anytime soon anyway 👍🏻
Chris wood, in a few years the station is going to have a total of 10 platforms. And despite that, you should remember that the train in Greece can’t develop as much as in the rest of Europe, as we can’t have international connections due to our geographical place on the map. Although, the passenger sea port is one of the biggest in Europe and we don’t even compare it to others. So the comparison of the train in Greece to a country of the Central Europe has no point at all.
Yes man, I completely agree, that disgusting graffiti shouldn't be there at all. You are right, very expensive for a graffitted train... even inside! Dogs...?? Maybe they have in-advance ticket discount... Indeed, that's quite a beautiful beach, with little round rocks, so you don't have to worry about ending up all sandy, cool...!
I really wish operators could solve the rife graffiti problem that is so prevalent in much of Europe. Yes, the beach was lovely 🤩
Good job 👍 i wanna ask if i could get a train from Greece to Spain or Germany
Not possible at the moment!
@@NonstopEurotrip thanks a lot
I used to take regional trains in Italy. I find the conditions of Greek regional train as you shot in this video are much better than those on the Italian ones. Probably that's why the price is also a bit higher.
Yeah, fair comment!
The Italian railway coverage is much better than the Greek one , plus, there are many choices when it comes to Italian trains, you can get the high speed trains like Italotreno 🚄 and Trenitalia Frecce🚄🚆, I think you probably got the regional train 🚃 which is a bad option because the trains are old and cheap...
@@aristassofficial Yes, I was on Regional trains. It was more than ten years ago probably the situation is different nowadays.
@@vincewoo3415 trenitalia is slowly restyling them and if you are lucky you could catch the ones called “pop” and “rock” (hitachi ones), and these are very clean and comfortable
but yeah, if you catch the old ones.. those aren’t so good
@@federicapuliga432 I think I had caught once a newer reginal train between Verona and Venice. Yes, its conditions were way better than old ones.
Hello, I need to know if it is possible to travel by train from Thessaloniki to Sofia in April 2022, thanks for any info
No idea, sorry!
Great vid! This looks like a Deutsche Bahn train. DB runs some of these trains in their local lines in Germany.
And many other countries too 😂
Excellent 👌
Thanks 👍🏻
Awesome 👍👍👍👍
Thanks 👍🏻
I note many of the commenters bemoaning the graffiti have never been to Greece, because if they had, they’d know they haven’t seen the half of it! It is a ubiquitous presence throughout mainland Greece, from the most prestigious parts of Athens to the smallest towns, and all surfaces in between. It’s not immediately obvious whether Greek public opinion is tolerant of it as part of some libertarian ‘freedom of expression’ thinking, or considers it a scourge that they despair of their malfunctioning state ever doing anything about. This, in a country where tourism is 20% of the economy and where successive tourism ministers keep announcing the intention to promote year-round tourism (which means: the mainland)
True, the graffiti in Greece was some of the worst I've seen.
In big cities, yes. But in smaller cities you will rarely find graffities and especially in such a mass like in Athens.
Didn't you get the cleaned out train? Bummer!
On a side note: it's a shame that Greece hasn't invested in railways. While we have some of the most advanced motorways, sea ports and airports in the world, we pretty much haven't invested in railways at all. While it could be really helpful. The only decent ones are the suburban railways and the route of Athens towards Thessaloniki. But much more should be done.
Yeah that pretty much sums it up well! 👍🏻
@@NonstopEurotrip What did you think of the Athens Thessaloniki route?
@@Pan472 really great!!
Slightly different temperature but the North Sea at Filey today was similarly blue and the miles of sand much nicer.
Always enjoy your videos. Thank you for your efforts. 👍🏻🏴
Lol! I do like Filey ☺️
@@NonstopEurotrip North Beach Bridlington, Bempton R.S.P.B. (June onwards Gannet’s nesting), and Whitby Beach.
All accessible by train. Stay Safe. 👍🏻🏴
@@Backwardlooking Scarborough North Beach is my personal fav 😎
ah, that's eurotrip nonstop, that's the video I was talking about in my previous comment. AIE Aie Aie. South. Yes, you did well to leave the noises of the passengers, so we can see what a trip report is. A trip report with nothing is not a suitable trip report. Personally, and this is only my opinion, I don't like this kind of landscapes at all, I leave the pleasure to others. Otherwise, you showed everything very well, everything very well explained. Thanks to you !!! Thank you.
I've got some exciting videos coming up very soon!
how did you buy these tickets???? online or at station?
thank you
You can do either
So the line has recently been electrified to allow electric trains to operate on. No wonder Siemens have built trains to be so quiet, comfortable and quick.
Only approximately 1/5 of it. From SKA station to Kiato has always been electrified
@@DimitrisSartzetakis Maybe more lines in Greece should be electrified. Just like the UK government wants more railway lines electrified before 2050.
Depends of the demand, of which there isn't much outside of the Thessaloniki mainline and suburban lines I think...
@@NonstopEurotrip True
Which app u use to see the speed of the train?
'GPS Speedo' on android
Back in the day I would go from Athens to Kyparissia. What a dumpster train that was. lol. Gets me is they can't even put TP and hand towels in the toilet. Advice: bring your own.
Haha yeah! 🤣
Was there a cat on the train? Graffiti looks awful. Will the line reopen beyond Kiato, was it a temporary RRB service?
I think there might have been a 🐈 lol, there is an onward local (diesel) train but the bus is much quicker and direct to Patras. Unsure of timescale for fully opening, information is scarse! 🇬🇷
Probably a passenger caring a pet.
The full line to Patras will "probably" (here ia Greece, you are never sure for public works) open in 2025, and this because the EU threatens to ask to give the billions, that it spent for this line in the 00s, back, so the goverment will try to avoid that embarassment🤣
Hi! I'm here again, watching this video, even if I'm unsubscribed due to my job practices until just before Christmas (The 17th of December to be exact)
2:40 It's called Pireaus, or something like this in English. If a Greek subscriber watches this, please reply me if I named Pireaus correctly
6:50 The Greek Crisis also touches the railways
9:23 A traffic jam, like the UK cars searching for petrol right now
12:13 It's "circa", not "cerca"
14:39 That clip of the beach it's beautiful, like the beaches on the Spanish Mediterranean Coast
Video's final score: 9
Thank you Pedro 😊
@@NonstopEurotrip You're welcome!😊😊
Seems Greeks are still struggling with their financial difficulties. Hope they can soon work out all challenges after the COVID shock.
13:35 The distance between the train and the platform is a bit high, isn't it?
Level boarding? Greece: huh?
Greece in the 90s had low level platforms, but as the network was left half modernised, there is the anomaly that some stations are low, some high and some middle🤣 The train tries, TRIES to cater for all😅🤣
4:07 Are these cars from Siemens, like ÖBB Railjet?
These were built in Hellenic Shipyards, with Siemens in the 00s. But they are domestically produced.
Exactly!
Since 2017 Trainiose belongs to Trenitalia
As mentioned in the video...
13:38 There some witch is good enough
Athens_Kalambaka
Pilion train
Larisa_Volos
Odototos in Corith
Yes definitely some more I'd like to do next time I'm there!
Will you come to Ireland?
I've been before, but not to film a video, yet!
@@NonstopEurotrip ohhhhh nice it would be great
Nice journey & beautiful scenery as well though shame about the graffiti what Athens is meant to be a nice city are the fares quite cheap in Greece even as it is part of the eurozone? .😌
No, as mentioned in the video!
@@NonstopEurotrip Thank you no worries.
It’s basically a commuter train. But, very nice scenery. Did I hear a cat 🐈!
Yes and yes 😂🐈
Would be fun if you did a Dutch trip 😀
I have 😎
My god! The graffity-filth problem is even worse than in Spain! And believe me, here in Spain it is terrible. Fortunately, not so much on passenger trains, but freight trains and and any vertical surface of the rest of infrastructures is spoilt!
And worse than France, and that's saying something 😂
γεια σας! means Hello!
👋🏻🇬🇷
Nice vid but in Greece so many things remain to be done regarding trains & railways...
I agree, but it's going the right direction!
I think those graffities are actually done on purpose. I kind of like them..They don't seem to look like they were made in some kind of heist as they are well planned and nicely done which means the owners/operators didn't mind it, There is also one advantage to this; if the train is dirty it can't really be seen. which in hot, dry and kind of dusty country like Greece is a big deal and common problem.
Vandalism