Historic moment for Greek Railways as Kiato – Aegio section reopens after a decade

A historic moment for northern Peloponnese was recorded earlier today, as the test route on Kiato-Aegio railway section was carried out successfully, with the presence of the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Mr. Christos Spirtzis, the General Secretaries of the Ministry and many other officials that have been involved in this major project. The line is under upgrade as part of a project that covers Kiato-Rododafni section. 

The new line is now completed, as ypodomes.com reported last week, however pending signaling works temporarily obstruct the operation of the new section, which, according to railway executives, is postponed until the end of the Summer.

Another question to be answered is whether the line will operate as a suburban or as an interurban route, considering that the new section from Kiato to Aegio is not yet electrified. The same executives told ypodomes.com that, currently and in cooperation with TRAINOSE, different scenarios concerning the operation are being examined. The 3 dominant options are: 1) the launching of a diesel-powered train from Athens to Aegio 2) an electric train from Athens to Kiato, switching to diesel trains at Kiato Station and 3) a combination of both itineraries on a daily basis.

The new double-track line with its operation is expected to boost growth across the coastal front of northern Peloponnese, bringing the modern train just 35 km outside the city and the port of Patras.

The projects on the newly-released section will be completed with the installation of the electrification systems. This project has a budget of 68m euros and is now in its final auction phase. It is estimated that the contract will be signed in June 2019. The construction period is set at 30 months.

Nikos Karagiannis-ypodomes.com

Follow Nikos Karagiannis on Twitter and Linkedin