Lasithi Plateau approves study for tourist train to Diktaion Cave
The Municipality of Lasithi Plateau has approved a study for a small tourist train intended to transport visitors to the Diktaion Cave, mayor Giorgos Athanasakis told Cretalive.
The study was submitted by an interested party, identified by the mayor as Mr. Interdakis, for the operation of the train service. According to Athanasakis, the plan is designed to help manage visitor traffic in the area around the cave, also known as the Psychro Cave.
“We approved the study submitted by the interested party, Mr. Interdakis, for the train, so that it can serve visitor numbers,” Athanasakis said.
Parking area planned in Psychro
The train project is linked to a planned new parking area in Psychro. Under the concept, visitors would leave their vehicles there before being transported by train to Europe Square, easing access to the Diktaion Cave.
“We will find a location somewhere in Psychro to build the parking area, and from there the train will carry people up to Europe Square,” Athanasakis said.
The mayor described the plan as an effort to combine parking with visitor transport, reducing the need for private vehicles to approach close to the cave itself. The initiative fits into a broader push across places in Crete to manage growing visitor numbers at popular sites.
No budget set for parking yet
No specific budget has been set for the new parking area, according to the mayor. The municipality is still in the process of surveying available land and assessing property prices in the Psychro area.
Athanasakis said the municipality must first make contact with landowners to determine whether an agreement can be reached before further steps toward implementing the plan can proceed.
The train service represents the first part of the project to reach the approval stage, while the parking area remains the next step toward what the municipality describes as a more organized system of access and transport for visitors heading to the cave, part of the wider range of experiences in Crete sought by travelers to the island.
