Current situation
It is impossible services will resume fully on the (metre gauge) line onto the next years, as there are now section gaps on the route caused by modern infrastructure, although some privately chartered services occasionally run on short sections of line. A short section through the port city of Patras remains open as a suburban railway lines P1 and P2.
However as part of the P.A.Th.E./P. project, the former section of track between Athens and Kiato has been rebuilt to standard gauge and electrified. The Athens Airport–Patras railway, opened in 2007 until Kiato, is served by the Athens Suburban Railway. In 2019 this section of line was extended to Aigio.[3] and eventually Patras, providing a double-track standard gauge rail connection between Patras and Athens. An extension from Patras to Kalamata via Pyrgos was also planned but due to the COVID-19 pandemic all progress froze .[4]
As of 2025, progress has been made regarding the potential reopening of the narrow-gauge railway. Discussions between the Embassy of Switzerland and the Greek Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage have led to the initiation of the necessary feasibility and restoration studies, which are now underway with the approval of the Hellenic Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.[5]
Two official meetings have taken place in Nafplio, on the 14th and 15 March 2024, followed by a third meeting on the 5th and 6 December 2024.[6]
Recently, when the Swiss Ambassador to Greece, Mr. Stefan Estermann, together with Professor Bernd Scholl of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), walked along parts of the disused railway line. They expressed their support for its restoration, highlighting the railway's historical, cultural, and environmental significance. "At times along the way, we had the impression that all it needed was to cut down a few bushes and the trains could start running again. Of course, we know that the situation is not the same everywhere. However, we realized one thing: the existing infrastructure already has enormous value in itself. If the line had to be built from scratch in the pristine landscape, hundreds of millions of euros would have to be spent. Therefore, it would be financially irresponsible and pointless to not utilize this infrastructure and leave it to decay".[7]
Since 10 June 2025, there has been an interest expressed in the Kalamata municipal council to restore the Kalamata–Messinia part of the line under the name Messinian Suburban Railway, connecting the port of Kalamata, Kalamata International Airport, the Courts and Messinia.[8]
On 31 December 2025, as a symbolic gesture towards the potential reactivation of the Peloponnese railway network, a special ceremonial train is scheduled to operate with the approval of OSE (Hellenic Railways Organisation).The event is organized jointly by the Municipality of Kalamata and the Railway Friends Association of Messenia.The train, carrying Santa Claus, his elves and Christmas gifts, will depart from the Kalamata depot and arrive at the Kalamata Central Station, where presents will be distributed to children in a festive event celebrating the city’s railway heritage and renewal efforts.[9]
