Trainose to unveil high-speed ‘Silver Arrow’ train at Thessaloniki fair

Italian-owned Greek rail operator Trainose is expected to unveil a high-speed train that will reduce the journey between Athens and Thessaloniki in northern Greece to 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Nicknamed “Silver Arrow,” the Frecciargento ETR 485 will be presented at next month’s Thessaloniki International Fair.

It has reportedly commenced its journey from Italy to the northern port city, where it will undergo test runs on a section of the track before being unveiled on September 8, state-run news agency ANA-MPA reported on Tuesday.

However, the train and its nine carriages, which have a capacity of 480 seats, will not be put into service until the electrification of the final 52-kilometer stretch of the Athens-Thessaloniki rail corridor is competed next year.

Built by Alstom Ferroviaria, the train can reach a maximum speed of up to 250 km/hour and is expected to significantly reduce the journey time between Thessaloniki, which currently takes more than 5 hours.