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The Athens Metro ( el, Μετρό Αθήνας, Metro Athinas, translit-std=iso) is a rapid-transit system in
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
which serves the
Athens urban area Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
and parts of
East Attica East Attica ( el, Ανατολική Αττική) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Attica. The regional unit covers the eastern part of the urban agglomeration of Athens, and also the rural area to its east. Adm ...
. Line 1 opened as a conventional steam railway in 1869 and electrified in 1904. In 1991, Attiko Metro S.A. constructed and extended Lines 2 and 3. It has significantly changed Athens by providing a much-needed solution to the city's traffic and air pollution problem, as well as revitalising many of the areas it serves. Extensions of existing lines are under development, as well as a new Line 4, whose central section began construction in October 2021. The Athens Metro is actively connected with the other means of public transport, such as buses, trolleys, the
Athens Tram The Athens Tram is the modern public tram network system serving Athens, Greece. The system is owned and operated by STASY, which replaced Tram S.A. in June 2011. STASY operates a fleet of 25 Alstom Citadis and 35 Sirio vehicles, which serve ...
and the Athens Suburban Railway. The Athens Metro is hailed for its modernity (mainly the newer lines 2, 3) and many of its stations feature works of art, exhibitions and displays of the archaeological remains found during its construction. Photography and video-taking is permitted across the whole network and street photographers often work in Athens Metro. This is the only metro system in
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
, until the
Thessaloniki Metro The Thessaloniki Metro ( el, Μετρό Θεσσαλονίκης, ', ) is an underground rapid-transit system under construction in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. Estimates for the cost of the megaproject are €1.62 billion ...
begins operation in 2023.


History


Piraeus-Kifissia Railway

Until 28 January 2000, Line 1 was the only rapid-transit line in Athens. The Athens and Piraeus Railway Company (SAP) opened a steam single-track mixed cargo and passenger railway line on 27 February 1869 and was run between and . It was electrified in 1904. On the 4th of February 1885 Lavrion Square-Strofyli steam
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
single-track mixed cargo and passenger railway line opened and was run at the time from Attiki Square to Kifissia through Iraklio. These originally mixed cargo and passenger railway lines gradually merged and converted to a rapid-transit system. The section between Kifissia and Strofyli was abandoned. From 1869 to 1926 the line was operated by SAP. From 1926 to 1976 the line was operated by Hellenic Electric Railways (EIS). In 1976 the EIS was nationalized and renamed Athens-Piraeus Electric Railway Company (ISAP), which continued to operate what became line 1 of the Athens Metro until 16 June 2011.


1990s projects

Since the current Line 1 opened, the government has proposed many expansions to the subway network, including a 1963 plan for a fourteen-line subway network. Construction of Lines 2 and 3 began in November 1992 to decrease traffic congestion and improve Athens' air quality by reducing its smog level. Both lines were constructed underground. Lines 2 and 3, built by Attiko Metro S.A. and operated until 2011 by Attiko Metro Operations Company, are known respectively as the red and blue lines and were inaugurated in January 2000. Line 3 was extended to the
Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport Athens International Airport ''Eleftherios Venizelos'' ( el, Διεθνής Αερολιμένας Αθηνών «Ελευθέριος Βενιζέλος», ''Diethnís Aeroliménas Athinón "Elefthérios Venizélos"''), commonly initialised as ...
in summer 2004, and Line 2 was extended to Anthoupoli and Elliniko in 2013.


Consolidation

Until 17 June 2011, the operational management of the Athens Metro network was similar to that of the
London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The ...
network before the creation of the
London Passenger Transport Board The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for local public transport in London and its environs from 1933 to 1948. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and brand was Lond ...
and the absorption of the Metropolitan Railway on 1 July 1933. The Greek government attempted to absorb ISAP into Attiko Metro under Law 2669/1998 so the latter would be responsible for the whole network, but this initiative failed. Athens Metro operations were consolidated when the Greek government enacted Law 3920/2011, replacing AMEL, ISAP and Tram S.A. with Urban Rail Transport S.A. (STASY S.A.) ( el, ΣΤΑΣΥ Α.Ε.), a subsidiary of OASA S.A. (Athens Urban Transport Organisation S.A.).


Timeline


Infrastructure


Lines and stations

The Athens Metro consists of three lines totalling and 66 stations: Line 1 (Green) is long with 24 stations, Line 2 (Red) is long with 20 stations, and Line 3 (Blue) is long with 24 stations.
STASY Urban Rail Transport S.A. ( el, Σταθερές Συγκοινωνίες, Statheres Synkoinonies, translit-std=ISO, ), commonly abbreviated as STASY, is a Greek public transport operator of the Athens Metro and the Athens Tram. It is the metr ...
owns and operates 62 of the 66 stations: three other stations (, and ) belong to GAIAOSE and the station belongs to the operator of the
Athens International Airport Athens International Airport ''Eleftherios Venizelos'' ( el, Διεθνής Αερολιμένας Αθηνών «Ελευθέριος Βενιζέλος», ''Diethnís Aeroliménas Athinón "Elefthérios Venizélos"''), commonly initialised as ...
. The system has five interchanges, at , , , and , allowing all three to interchange with each other at least once. Each line also has at least one connection with the Athens Suburban Railway, and the
Athens Tram The Athens Tram is the modern public tram network system serving Athens, Greece. The system is owned and operated by STASY, which replaced Tram S.A. in June 2011. STASY operates a fleet of 25 Alstom Citadis and 35 Sirio vehicles, which serve ...
. Line 2 and the Attiko Metro portion of Line 3 are entirely underground. Line 1 is primarily overground, with a tunnel section in central Athens. The airport section of Line 3, east of the tunnel portal near , is open. In the tunnel sections up and down lines share a common tunnel, except for approaches to stations with an island platform (such as Egaleo). Train maintenance facilities are located at Attiki, Faliro, Irini, Piraeus, Kifissia and Thissio for Line 1, and Doukissis Plakentias, Eleonas and Sepolia for Lines 2 and 3. The Athens Metro's three lines carried approximately 1,353,000 passengers daily in 2010.


Rolling stock

The network uses standard gauge electric trains which in most places run on 750  V DC
third rail A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway ...
, but the section of Line 3 running to the airport requires trains which can use
overhead line An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, trolleybuses or trams. It is known variously as: * Overhead catenary * Overhead contact system (OCS) * Overhead equipmen ...
s of 25 kV AC, 50 Hz. The Athens Metro classifies rolling stock by "batch" for Line 1 and "generation" for Lines 2 and 3 because ISAP and AMEL used different classification systems for rolling stock before consolidation. Six types of rolling stock operate on the network, all equipped with third rail current collection systems; however, only seven second-generation trains have the necessary overhead line equipment to serve Line 3 from to . The eighth batch (introduced in 1983) is the oldest rolling stock in passenger service, while the third generation (introduced in 2013) is the latest rolling stock in passenger service. The eighth- and tenth-batch stock is externally similar, but the former has split-flap headsigns in Johnston typeface and a cream-and-green interior colour scheme. An extensive refurbishment programme is planned for the 8th batch, and to cover for trains undergoing refurbishment, up to five 1st generation Line 2/3 trains have been borrowed to operate on Line 1. Line 1 halfsets have driving cabs at both ends, unlike the Line 2/3 halfsets which have a driving cab at the outer ends, but only basic driving apparatus for shunting purposes only at the inner ends; thus, they can only operate on their own inside depots. * First series (delivery): 28 six-car electric multiple units made by Alstom
Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
Adtranz (2000); maximum speed 80 km/h * Second series (delivery): 21 six-car EMU made by
Hanwha , former_name = Korea Explosives Group , type = Public , traded_as = , industry = Conglomorate , founded = , founder = Kim Chong-hee , hq_location_city = Seoul , hq_location_country = South Korea , area_served = Global , key_people = K ...
- Rotem- Mitsubishi.(2004). Seven of these trains can also operate on OSE lines with 25 kV AC −50 Hz overhead electrification system and are used for airport service. All second-series trains are air-conditioned. Maximum speed 80 km/h * Third series: Athens Metro ordered 17 additional trains made by Hyundai Rotem. * Four service hybrid locomotives made by Kaelble-Gmeinder-Siemens. They can operate from a third-rail 750 V DC system or their own diesel generators. They have a B-B configuration, with a maximum power of 550 kW under diesel traction and 600 kW under electric traction. * One road-rail
Unimog The Unimog (, ) is a range of multi-purpose tractors, trucks and lorries that has been produced by Boehringer from 1948 until 1951, and by Daimler Truck (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler AG) since 1951. In the United States and ...
Railcar codes: DM: driving motor car, DT: driving trailer, M: motor car, T: trailer, MD: motor car with auxiliary driving facility.


Signalling

Line 1 uses two-aspect red/green home signals, yellow/green distant signals and a passenger information system (PIS). The current system replaced 1950s-era semaphore signals. Lines 2 and 3 use the Alstom automatic train supervision system (ATS) and a passenger information system (PIS). Two-aspect red/white colour signals are used at points and junctions only.


Fares

Fares are prepaid, either as short term tickets valid for 90 minutes, 24 hours, 3 days, 5 days, or as long term tickets. As of September 2020, there are two types of fare products, the ATH.ENA Ticket and ATH.ENA Card, both of which are validated using a contactless system (by scanning the ticket or card at the electronic validating machines). The tickets are valid on all modes of public transport in Athens except on trains and buses to the airport. Passengers cannot buy a fare on board the bus. To travel to or from the airport, passengers may buy a one-way ticket for €9 or a 3-day ticket for €20 which also includes unlimited local trips and a return trip to the airport. Arrival at the airport without having paid the appropriate fare will incur a €72 fine, reduced to €36 if you can pay within 10 days. Term tickets are available in 30, 90, 180, and 365 day periods and are available only with a personalized ATH.ENA Card. Reduced fares are available for university students, seniors, disabled and persons under 18. During a fare control the passengers that are entitled to a reduced fare have to show ID card, student card or passport. Children under the age of 6 are entitled to travel for free with all means of transportation. On buses and
trams A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ar ...
the ticket or card must be validated only when entering the vehicle/car by scanning the ticket at the electronic validating machines. At metro or
Suburban Railway Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are cons ...
stations, the ticket or card must be validated at the electronic gates when entering and exiting the station.


Archaeological excavations and exhibits

During construction of the metro tunnels, artifacts of archaeological interest were discovered and
rescue archaeology Rescue archaeology, sometimes called commercial archaeology, preventive archaeology, salvage archaeology, contract archaeology, developer-funded archaeology or compliance archaeology, is state-sanctioned, archaeological survey and excavation car ...
was employed. Teams of archaeologists worked ahead of, then with, engineers for six years, protecting and recording archaeological finds (streets, houses, cemeteries, sanctuaries, public workshops, foundry pits, kilns, aqueducts, wells, cisterns, drains and sewage tunnels). This afforded new insight into the city's ancient topography, through unprecedented infrastructure development combined with the study and preservation of archaeological data. Exhibitions of ancient artifacts or replicas are found at a number of metro stations, including
Monastiraki Monastiraki (Greek: Μοναστηράκι, ''Monastiráki'', , literally ''little monastery'') is a flea market neighborhood in the old town of Athens, Greece, and is one of the principal shopping districts in Athens. The area is home to cloth ...
and Syntagma.


Future

The Athens Metro masterplan, as presented in October 2022, consists of the following projects: *The current Kifissia terminal will be demolished and rebuilt as an underground station. **The Development Plan refers it as Line 4 branch but there are unofficial plans that this branch is part of the future Line 5. If and when these projects are completed, the Athens Metro is expected to reach in length and serve a total of 110 stations by 2040.


Line 4

A fourth line is planned for the Athens Metro and it has been incorporated in the roadmap of Athens's mass transit system since 2005. The new line in its totality will extend over a length of 38.2 km, adding thirty five (35) new stations to the Athens Metro system. The cost of the entire project is estimated at 3.3 billion
EUR The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens ...
. The recommendation is for lighter rolling stock than the type used in existing lines of Athens Metro which would operate automatically without a driver. In November 2020, Alstom was chosen to supply the line with 20 4-car automated
Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...
trains, operated under Urbalis 400 signalling system. The first phase of Line 4 will be between ''Alsos Veikou'' and ''Goudi'' stations, predicting fifteen (15) new stations and a length of 12.8 km of new track. An
invitation to tender An invitation to tender (ITT, otherwise known as a call for bids or a request for tenders) is a formal, structured procedure for generating competing offers from different potential suppliers or contractors looking to obtain an award of business ...
for the construction of the first phase of Line 4 was issued in September 2018. The construction is expected to start by mid-2020 and the opening of the line by circa 2028. The estimated cost for constructing the first phase of the new line is 1.51 billion EUR. Currently, the project of the first phase is considered to follow a PPP scheme which might be extended for constructing the whole new line. An alternative solution is a mixed funding between the EIB and the Greek State. It is also a high-profile candidate project to be included in the Juncker Plan of EU that will include also the second phase of Line 4 of Athens Metro.


Long-term plan

On 15 November 2008, Greek newspaper ''
Ta Nea ''Ta Nea'' ( el, Τα Νέα, italic=yes; Translation: ''The News'') is a daily newspaper published in Athens. It was owned by Lambrakis Press Group (DOL), which also published the newspaper '' To Vima''. The assets of DOL were acquired in 2017 b ...
'' reported that the Greek government was considering a circular line from Ano Ilisia to Faros, via and , as part of a "100 km" network. This proposal evolved to form part of what is now the long-term Athens Metro Future Regulatory Plan (or the Souflias plan) on 13 April 2009, which called for an network of eight lines and 200 stations. The Souflias plan was last revised in January 2012, and saw limited activity until October 2020, when
Attiko Metro Attiko Metro ( el, Αττικό Μετρό) is a Greek public company who is responsible for the development and construction of the Athens Metro and the Thessaloniki Metro, as well as the extensions to the Athens Tram. Headquartered in the Ell ...
announced that they were reconsidering some extensions from the plan, including the extension of Line 1 from to
Nea Erythraia Nea Erythraia ( el, Νέα Ερυθραία) is a suburb in the northeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kifissia, of which it is a municipal unit. Geography Nea ...
, the extensions of Line 2 to and
Glyfada Glyfada ( el, Γλυφάδα, ) is a suburb in South Athens located in the Athens Riviera along the Athens coast. It is situated in the southern parts of the Athens' Urban Area. The area stretches from the foot of the Hymettus mountain to the S ...
, Line 6 from
Melissia Melissia ( el, Μελίσσια) is a suburb in the northeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Penteli, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal ...
to Perama, and Line 7 from Haidari to Kalamaki. In December 2021, a part of the southern branch of Line 6 was reconsidered as a branch of Line 1 from to the SNFCC in
Kallithea Kallithea (Greek: Καλλιθέα, meaning "beautiful view") is a district of Athens and a municipality in south Athens regional unit. It is the eighth largest municipality in Greece (96,118 inhabitants, 2021 census) and the fourth biggest i ...
, with intermediate stations at Hamosternas, Plateia Davaki, and Lofos Filaretou.


See also

*
Line 1 (Athens Metro) Line 1 is the oldest of the three lines of the Athens Metro, running from to . The Athens-Piraeus Railway Company (SAP S.A.) first opened the line, between and , on 27 February 1869. On 4 February 1885 Lavrion Square-Strofyli railway line opene ...
* Line 2 (Athens Metro) *
Line 3 (Athens Metro) Line 3 of the Athens Metro runs from to , via Syntagma, although most of the trains reverse at . The section from Dimotiko Theatro to the tunnel portal east of Doukissis Plakentias is underground, and the section from Doukissis Plakentias to Airp ...
*
Line 4 (Athens Metro) Line 4 of the Athens Metro is a future line that will run from Alsos Veikou to Goudi. Construction of the line started in mid to late-2021 and is scheduled to be completed in 2029 or 2030. Line 4 had been under consideration for many years. Its ex ...
*
Athens Mass Transit System The Athens Mass Transit System is the largest mass transit system of Greece. The system is run by the OASA S.A. organisation and serves Athens Urban Area and the Athens Metropolitan Area (most of the Region of Attica without the island section) ...
*
Thessaloniki Metro The Thessaloniki Metro ( el, Μετρό Θεσσαλονίκης, ', ) is an underground rapid-transit system under construction in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. Estimates for the cost of the megaproject are €1.62 billion ...


Notes


References


External links


Athens Metro Map on Google earth with geolocationUrban Rail Transport Company (STASY S.A.)Attiko Metro Company (Construction and Infrastructure)Athens Urban Transport Organisation (OASA S.A.)Athens metro guide
{{Urban transport in Greece Electric railways in Greece Underground rapid transit in Greece Rail transport articles in need of updating 750 V DC railway electrification 25 kV AC railway electrification 1869 establishments in Greece