High-speed train still in depot with no launch date
A much-touted high-speed train brought to Greece from Italy will spend at least another month in the depot after missing its March 25 launch, scheduled to coincide with bicentennial celebrations of the Greek Revolution.
According to rail operator Trainose, the delay of the launch is due to restrictions on travel and low passenger numbers as a result of the pandemic, and the 600-seat ETR 470 is ready to go once it gets the green light.
The train is expected to reduce the trip between Athens and the northern port city of Thessaloniki to three hours and 15 minutes from the current four hours. The time will be slashed further once much-needed upgrades are completed on Greece’s antiquated rail network.
These are expected by the summer of 2022, though even then, the ETR 470 will only be able to travel at a maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour instead of its optimum speed of 200 km/h.
