Line 4 of the

Athens Metro The Athens Metro ( el, Μετρό Αθήνας, Metro Athinas, translit-std=iso) is a rapid-transit system in Greece which serves the Athens urban area and parts of East Attica. Line 1 opened as a conventional steam railway in 1869 and electrif ...

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 exact route was changed multiple times. One of the most famous routes was the U-shaped line from to (which are current stations of lines 1 and 3 respectively), including a branch to

Vyronas Vyronas ( el, Βύρωνας) is a suburban town and a municipality in the southeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. The town is named after George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, the famous English poet and writer, who is a national ...

. However, the route from Alsos Veikou to Goudi was chosen, as it has the benefit of being the one passing from the densely populated areas of central

Athens 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 a ...

, like Galatsi, Exarheia, Kolonaki,

Kaisariani Kaisariani ( el, Καισαριανή) is a suburb and a municipality in the eastern part of the Athens agglomeration in Greece. Geography Kaisariani is located about southeast of Athens city centre, and of the Acropolis of Athens. The muni ...

and Zografou. In the distant future, it will be extended further north to Ethniki Odos and to other important suburbs of

, like

Marousi Marousi or Maroussi ( el, Μαρούσι, also Αμαρούσιο ''Amarousio'') is a suburb in the northeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Marousi dates back to the era of the ancient Athenian Republic; its ancient name was Athmon ...

Development history

Plans for Line 4 of the Athens originated from the Metro Development Study for the period between 1996–2000, which proposed

branch line A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Industrial spur An industr ...

s for Lines 2 and 3. The Line 2 branch would have ran between and Alsos Veikou, with intermediate stations at

Exarcheia Exarcheia ( ) is a community in central Athens, Greece close to the historical building of the National Technical University of Athens. Exarcheia took its name from a 19th century businessman named Exarchos (Greek: Έξαρχος) who opened a larg ...

, Alexandras, Dikastiria, Kypseli, and Galatsi. The Line 3 branch would have ran between and , with intermediate stations at Faros, Filothei, Sidera,

OAKA The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens Spiros Louis ( el, Ολυμπιακό Αθλητικό Κέντρο Αθηνών "Σπύρος Λούης", ''Olympiakó Athlitikó Kéntro Athinón "Spýros Loúis"'') or OACA ()), is a sport facilities co ...

(Athens Olympic Sports Complex), and Paradissos (for Suburban Railway trains at ). On 1 December 2005,

Georgios Souflias Georgios Ath. Souflias ( el, Γεώργιος Σουφλιάς) (born July 7, 1941) is a Greek politician. He is a member of the New Democracy political party and was Minister for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works for the durat ...

, then the Minister of the Environment, Urban Planning and Public Works, announced that the two branches would combine to form the U-shaped Line 4. Souflias stated that the original branches, if built, would have caused "significant structural and operational weaknesses" for Lines 2 and 3. The original proposal for Line 4 is similar to what is currently proposed between Alsos Veikou and Marousi (without the Line 5 branch), but it did not include stations at Elikonos, Panepistimioupoli, and OTE.

Controversies

There has been significant opposition to a metro station at

Exarcheia Square Exarcheia square is located in the Exarcheia neighborhood of Athens and it is considered the center of the neighborhood. The square is a gathering place for people of all ages, but especially young people, and many activities organized by anti-au ...

, in a neighbourhood known for

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics * Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe an ...

political and intellectual activism.

Future extensions

In March 2017, Attiko Metro (the infrastructure manager of the Athens Metro) split the implementation of Line 4 into five phases, of which Phase A is now under construction: proposals for Phases 3, 4 and 5 first appeared in the Souflias plan in April 2009. If Attiko Metro builds all sections as planned, the line will be about long, with 35 stations: However, the expected length of the completed project may change due to the ongoing review of the alignment of Phases 3, 4 and 5.

Phase 2

Phase 2 may consist of a line from Goudi to Line 1 at , with intermediate stations at (for Line 3), Faros, Filothei, Sidera,

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

, Paradissos (for Suburban Railway trains at ), and OTE.

Phase 3

Phase 3, , may consist of a branch from to the new Government Park near , with intermediate stations at

Pangrati Pangrati or Pagrati ( el, Παγκράτι) is a neighborhood in Central Athens, Greece, having an estimated population of 35,173 residents. Named after the ancient sanctuary of Hercules Pancrates ("All Powerful"), its frontage runs from Vasi ...

and

: Attiko Metro previously planned to build the terminus at Ano Ilioupoli. The extension may form part of Line 5, with trains initially terminating at . Attiko Metro also announced the possibility of a further extension from Dafni towards Kalamaki.

Phase 4

Phase 4 may consist of a line from Alsos Veikou to

Petroupoli Petroupoli ( el, Πετρούπολη, meaning "City/town of Peter") is a town in Attica that falls under the administrative sector of West Athens. Petroupoli was part of the community of Nea Liosia until 1946, when it became a separate community ...

, with intermediate stations at Plateia Igias in Nea Ionia, (for Line 1), Nea Filadelfeia, (for Suburban Railway trains), and Ilion (for Line 2). However, the September 2022 Athens Metro Development Plan reroutes Line 4 via instead of Perissos, resulting in the relocation of the station for Nea Filadelfeia.

Phase 5

Phase 5 may consist of a line from to the

A1 motorway A1, A-1, A01 or A.1. may refer to: Education * A1, the Basic Language Certificate of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages * Language A1, the former name for "Language A: literature", one of the IB Group 1 subjects * A1, a ...

(National Road), with intermediate stations at Pefki and Lykovrysi. However, the September 2022 Athens Metro Development Plan omits the station at National Road.

Stations

The spelling of the station names on this table, in English and Greek, are according to Attiko Metro. All confirmed stations are underground, and have a layout of two tracks and two

side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platfo ...

s. }), at a different location. , , -id="419" , Ilissia , Ιλίσια , , Zografou , 2029 , , , -id="420" , Zografou , Ζωγράφου , , Zografou , 2029 , , , -id="421" , style="background-color:#FFFFE6", Goudi ^† , style="background-color:#FFFFE6", Γουδή , , Zografou , 2029 , ,

Notes

References

External links

Athens Metro official website
{{Public transport in Athens Athens Metro lines