Ένωση Ξενοδόχων Νομού Αχαϊας

The cog  railway from Diakopto to Kalavrita and the unique path through the gorge of Vouraikos river is one of the most beautiful natural attractions of our country. It has been declared the most spectacular railway line of the Balkans. The cog railway was project of Charilaos Trikoupis. The construction contract was signed in 1889 and the construction lasted seven years. The railway line was designed by French technicians. The work was very difficult due to the inaccessible terrain. On March 10, 1896 the train made its inaugural journey. Diakopto is 22km far from Kalavrita. The ride takes up to one hour and the speed of the train ranges from 30-40 km/hour in single line with 6 to 15 cogs. The slope of the line does not allow the use of a conventional train, so between the rails there’s a  cog mechanism that permits the train to climb up to an altitude of 750 meters (Kalavrita). It has the smallest width in Europe (0.75 m). The train consists of two carriages and has the engine mounted in the center. It departs from the station of Diakopto towards Kalavryta passing at the beginning of the smooth track and continues taking off his cogs, entering the first narrowing of the gorge and stop in the settlement of  Niamata. The train named Cog passes through small tunnels in the openings of which it has time to discern just across large rock shelter with successive cavernous halls. In one of the caves, stalagmites have formed upright columns resembling forms lined up in court composition (judge, president and prosecutor). The train retracts its cogs in Triklion. The train route continues further into wild landscapes with waterfalls and reaches the narrowest point of the journey called "Portes" that means “doors” and the then it goes through a tunnel and arrives at the station of the Great Cave where is the village of Kato Zachlorou. Here there is a smooth path to Kalavryta, speed increases and it passes by Kerpini and reaches Kalavrita through an open plain. Next to the train tracks you’ll see a path formerly used by local residents. Today, the same track is marked with symbols of European path E4 used by hikers, Greeks and foreigners. The downhill path takes about 6 hours to walk and 7-8 hours if you head uphill.