The first environmental licensing of Odontotos since 1896

of Eleni Botas

In the final stretch, the project for the extension of the historic train of Odontotos from Kalavrita to the Monastery of Agia Lavra, in order to achieve its further development but also to contribute to the further tourist development of the area.

The extension will be 5 km, while at the same time the Environmental Impact Study for the existing line is running, the first done since the operation of the project in 1896. The public consultation of the Environmental Impact Study will last until 17/2/2022.

Odontotos starts from the railway station of Diakoptos in the Northern Peloponnese and moves to the south-southwest following the gorge of Fr. Vouraikos. After traveling 22.350m, it ends in the city of Kalavrita at an altitude of 720m above sea level.

It is the narrowest active toothed line in the world with a width of 0.75m. Its total length is 22,350m and is the only cog railway line in Greece.

According to the inventory data of TRAINOSE SA, Odontotos serves 120,000 – 130,000 passengers on an annual basis. Taking into account the price of a regular ticket of the Cog Railway 9.5 euros for one-way and 19 euros for return and children’s ticket 4.8 euros for single and 9.6 euros for return, it is estimated that the total revenue of the line from the tickets is of the order of 1,200,000 – 1,500 .000 euros.

Finally, it is estimated that the annual maintenance cost of the Railway is of the order of 400,000 euros.

The development and operation of the project are carried out by OSE SA. and the other companies of the Group.

The cog railway is a work of the period of Charilaos Trikoupis that began in 1889 and was inaugurated on March 10, 1896 under the government of Theodoros Diligiannis.

It was one of the most difficult projects for its time due to the very inaccessible terrain but also the high altitude at which it ended, as Odontotos is the most mountainous railway in Greece.

The contract for the construction of Odontotos and its exploitation for 92 years was signed in 1889 between the Greek State and the “Railways – Piraeus – Athens – Peloponnese” (SPAP). The construction of the line is assigned to the French company ATON.

Construction of the network began in 1889 and was inaugurated 7 years later, on March 10, 1896.

From 2003 to 2009, the line, bridges, tunnels were radically rebuilt and new state-of-the-art railcars were received.

By decision of the Ministry of Culture, Y.A. ΥΠΠΟ / ΔΟΛΑΠ / Γ / 2091/30436 (Government Gazette 553 / Β / 10-07-1996) all the facilities of the cog railway Diakoptos – Kalavrita are characterized as a historical monument.

Today, after more than 120 years of almost continuous operation of Odontotos, the extension of the line to I.M. Agia Lavra and the Ski Center of Kalavrita and at the same time its integration into a tourist train operator.