The Western Union Express Trains company seems to have amalgamated this year, taking in the routes of the former Blue, White and Red trains. Most routes centre on Platanias, although we used the station and booking office at the Haris Hotel in Aghia Marina, opposite our favourite watering-hole, Epimenidis Motel and Bar.
The trains themselves run on petrol or electricity, and are manufactured in either Italy or Switzerland. As there are no real railways on Crete, these road trains supplement the local buses, and can take you closer to the countryside you are looking at, as they are open, and their maximum speed is about 25 mph.
The trains waggle a bit around bends, so at the back of the three coaches you get the best view, but the greatest centrifugal force. The roads are often rough and potholed, and the mountain roads narrow and full of hairpin bends, so these trains can be a bit of a white knuckle ride! They are quite cheap to use - the longer, three-hour rides being only 10 Euro per adult.
Below: A photographer got on at Platanias, took photos of everyone on the train on spec, then caught up with us part way round with the prints - in our case four of them, size 8 inches by 6 inches. Here's one of ours - all aboard for the white knuckle ride!
