Athens-Thessaloniki railway journey will be less than 3.5 hours in a few days

Alighting at the new railway station in Thessaloniki after disembarking from an Athens-Thessaloniki Intercity Express train that had just completed the journey in three hours and 50 minutes, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Spirtzis on Tuesday expressed his certainty that the journey would soon be even faster. According to Spirtzis, TRAINOSE will meet its commitment to upgrade the rolling stock and bring in new trains that will reduce travel times even further, to under 3.5 hours instead of roughly four hours at present.

"TRAINOSE has made a commitment that, after the completion of electrification, it will bring new trains that will be able to carry out the route with safety and travel at higher speeds while meeting specific standards. I believe that the company will meet its commitment and in a few days it will bring the new trains," Spirtzis said.

This was Spirtzis' second journey on the Intercity Express, following a test run carried out a few days ago in order to time the duration of the trip. He said it was "very encouraging that the tracks are reconstructed and in very good condition."

Spirtzis travelled on the 6:22 train from Athens, the first and fastest of the Intercity trains during the day, which run every three hours at 9:22, 12:22, 15:22 and 18:22. The first Intercity from Thessaloniki to Athens, which is again the fastest, departs at 6:27 and is followed by trains that depart at 9:15, 12:15, 15:15 and 18:15.