Odontotos (Rack Railway)

The rack railway is the work of Charilaos Trikoupis.

 

Since 1896, the Diakopto-Kalavryta rack railway, starting from the coastal town of Diakopto and parallel to the river's tracks, built bridges, drilled tunnels, added "teeth" and managed to climb all the way to Kalavryta.

 

The contract for the construction of the line was signed in 1889 and its construction was completed seven years later. The design of the line was done by French technicians. The project was very difficult due to the difficult terrain. On March 10, 1896, the train made its first route.

 

Since then and to this day, the Vouraikos River and the Odontotos River have flown together. The train was so well integrated into the natural environment that it seems as if it had always been there. The way it was built did not burden the ecosystem of the gorge. With the wood and stone of the area, the technicians did works for the sake of the train that you would think nature had made on its own.

 

The route starts from Diakopto, crosses the Vouraikos gorge, passes the village of Zachlorou and ends in Kalavryta. The route takes about 1 hour.
Odontotos is not just a “cogwheel train.” The Vouraikos Gorge and the Diakopto-Kalavryta cogwheel railway are a unique attraction in Greece.