First of high-speed White Arrow trains arrives in Thessaloniki

The first of five White Arrow high-speed trains ordered by the Greek railway operator Trainose arrived in Thessaloniki from Italy on January 16, two days earlier than scheduled, the company said on Monday.

After a period of training and test runs, the train's first trip with passengers on board will be on the Athens-Thessaloniki line on March 25, a date chosen to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the 1821 Greek Revolution against Ottoman rule.

The train was due to leave Italy on January 4 but finally left the Alstom plant in Northern Italy only last week due to disruption caused by the powerful quake in Croatia.

The new trains, which can travel at a speed of up to 200 km/hour, will be delivered gradually to the Greek railway until autumn 2021. They each have nine carriages, one of which is a bar and restaurant.

There will be three first-class...