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Trains in Greece, it's getting better

I realised that some have an old view of the state of the Greek railway network. Which is understandable, is has been in really bad shape. But in the last 10 years or so, a lot has happened. The Athens-Thessaloniki line has been upgraded and electrified which has cut the travel time between the cities to 4:10, and earlier this month they received the first of a number of refurbished trains that will bring down the travel time to 3 hours.

The Athens-Patras line is currently in the process of being upgraded, from a single track narrow gauge line to a modern electrified double track. The upgrade has reached Aigio and will eventually reach Patras as well. What the plan is after that I don't know, but don't dismiss trains in Greece.

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I’d second this. We used the Patras line - train to Aigio and then bus link - to go from Athens to Diakofto 18 months ago. The train was fast and efficient and the bus link worked well, although the bus only meets certain trains. It was a real step up from when I first did this journey by train twenty years ago.

It’s worth noting that you can also get connecting trains direct from the airport onto this line, cutting out the need to go into Athens if you don’t want to. Unfortunately the station at Corinth is some way from the town itself and from the Corinth KTEL bus hub.

I’m looking forward to trying out the new Athens to Thessaloniki service when and if!

Alan