Have you ever arrived in Kalamata by train? If you have it was quite a while ago – before 2011 in fact.  I took the narrow gauge line (1m wide) from Patras a few times having arrived by ferry from Italy. If I remember correctly, it took about 7 hours and the journey meandered through beautiful scenery, stopping at some very small stations on the way. It was incredibly cheap and usually incredibly late!

The local press made a lot of noise about the preparations needed for the arrival of Santa in Kalamata by train as part of the New Year’s Eve celebrations. Messinia Live stated “With a powerful symbolic gesture, 2025 closed at the Central Railway Station of Kalamata. Kalamata proved yesterday that it wants the train, with over 2,000 people, young and old, gathering at the central Railway Station of our city to welcome the “Santa Claus train”. It was not a simple Christmas attraction, but an action that had been prepared in recent months with personal work, passion and love for trains and the reopening of the line by the Messinia Railway Friends Association, veteran railway workers, and with the support of the Municipality of Kalamata. We all remember the outrageous idea of ​​the Ministry of Environment and the Greek Transport and Tourism Authority to announce a competition last September to convert the Corinth-Kalamata railway line into a…cycle path, ignoring the fact that this is a national infrastructure integrated into the European railway network and that any other use or conversion is contrary to the National and Regional Spatial Planning, and the European Commission declaring ignorance of the plans in question. With bodies, associations and local authorities revolting by appealing to the Council of State, and the plans temporarily “frozen”, after the outcry.”

They go on to say that “And the presence of the members of parliament of Messinia, Periklis Mantas, and Alexis Charitsis, as well as the Mayor of Kalamata, deputy mayors, municipal councilors and councilors of the Opposition, was in this direction, and this is precisely what it attested. The reopening of the line, which is operational , since let’s not forget that before it was declared suspended in 2011, 80 million euros had been invested in its maintenance and upgrade from European funds. So, if there is political will, and the necessary reinforcements with modern railbuses and personnel are made, it is possible to activate the Kalamata-Messini and Kalamata-Diavolitsi lines in the first phase, and the Kalamata Suburban Railway will restart, serving hundreds of citizens of Messinia every day, who will leave the car and move with an environmentally friendly means.”

Ho, ho, ho….hope it happens!