The Train of Pelion

The Vision of Connectivity The story of the Pelion Train began in the late 19th century as part of Prime Minister Charilaos Trikoupis’s vision to modernize Greece. The wealthy villages of Pelion were producing massive amounts of olive oil and fruit, but transporting these goods to the port of Volos by mule was slow and inefficient. In 1894, a contract was signed to build a railway that would serve as the economic artery of the region, connecting the mountain production centers directly to the sea and the wider world.

The Italian Engineer The construction was entrusted to the Italian engineer Evaristo de Chirico. He faced a monumental challenge: laying tracks on the steep, unstable slopes of the Centaurs’ Mountain. De Chirico chose a remarkably narrow gauge of 600mm (one of the narrowest in the world for public transport) to allow the train to navigate the tight curves and sharp ascents required by the terrain. His engineering genius ensured that the railway harmonized with the environment rather than conquering it, using local stone and natural contours to minimize the impact on the landscape.

The Bridge of De Chirico The route’s most famous landmark is the steel railway bridge near the village of Taxiarches, widely known as the De Chirico Bridge. It is a unique engineering marvel, distinct for being a straight bridge built on a curved masonry base, a feature rarely seen in railway construction. Evaristo’s son, the famous surrealist painter Giorgio de Chirico, was born in Volos and often watched the construction; the silhouette of this train and its arches frequently appears in his world-renowned paintings, immortalizing the line in the annals of modern art.

War and Decline For decades, the “Moutzouris” (meaning “Smudgy” due to the steam soot) was the lifeline of Pelion. However, the 20th century brought hardship. The line suffered damage during World War II and the Greek Civil War, and the rise of the automobile in the 1950s and 60s made the slow-moving train obsolete for cargo. In 1971, operations ceased entirely, and the tracks fell silent, slowly being reclaimed by the forest and becoming a nostalgic memory for the older generation.

The Moutzouris Reborn In 1996, after immense public pressure to preserve this cultural heritage, the line was reopened as a tourist attraction. Extensive restoration work was done to ensure safety while keeping the vintage aesthetic intact. Today, it serves as a “living museum,” carrying thousands of visitors every year on the route from Ano Lechonia to Milies, proving that its value lies no longer in speed or cargo, but in the preservation of history and memory.

[H2] Current Services Offered

The train currently operates a seasonal route (Spring to Autumn) on weekends and holidays, departing from the Ano Lechonia station and terminating at Milies. The journey takes approximately 90 minutes, including a stop at the Ano Gatzea station where visitors can view a small museum of olive oil and railway artifacts. Upon arrival in Milies, visitors can witness the unique manual turning of the engine on a wooden turntable, a rare spectacle where the driver and crew physically push the locomotive to face the return direction.