Five ‘Silver Arrow’ Trains to Hit the Rails in Greece Next Year

Five “Silver Arrows” will be offering passengers in Greece, high-speed transport services from Athens to Thessaloniki as of next year, train operator Trainose announced this week.

The first five ETR470s, constructed by Fiat Ferroviaria in 1993-97, have been re-adapted for use in Greece, and are part of Trainose’s 2.5-million-euro investment program which includes upgrading to electric and hybrid trains, transitioning to digital services, and modernizing engine rooms.

The new high-speed electrified passenger trains are set to run the Athens – Thessaloniki route in less than four hours at speeds of up to 200km/hr.

Speaking to the press this week, Trainose CEO Philippos Tsalidis said the trains are expected to operate next year, and that the company is moving ahead with the incorporation of new technology systems on board to ensure a seamless travel experience.

At the same time, Trainose is investing in two new hybrid trains to operate by mid 2022  in areas along its network that are not fully powered. The locomotives will run on diesel and electricity.

In the meantime, Trainose is bound under a 10+5 year deal to service Greece’s remote regions for an annual sum of 50 million euros to invest some 2.5 billion euros in the first nine years of the service period.

Greece’s national passenger and freight train operator Trainose was sold off in 2017 to Italy’s state railway group Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) Italiane for 45 million euros.