The Athens Metro is an underground rapid transit system serving Athens. It is constructed and owned by Attiko Metro S.A. (Greek: Αττικό Μετρό Α.Ε., literally 'Attic metro') and operated by Attiko Metro Etaireia Leitourgias S.A. (Greek: Αττικό Μετρό Εταιρεία Λειτουργίας Α.Ε., English: Attic Metro Operating Company).

History

For a long time the only rapid transit system in Athens and Piraeus was the old Athens-Piraeus Railway, which was electrified in 1904 and extended to Kifissia in 1958. That system remains in use and is operated by ISAP, a separate company under separate ownership. It is occasionally advertised as Metro Line 1.

Construction of Metro Lines 2 and 3 began in November 1991 to decrease traffic congestion and clean up the environment by reducing Athens' smog level. Lines 2 and 3, constructed by Attiko Metro S.A. and operated by Attiko Metro Operations Company S.A. and known as red and blue lines respectively, were inaugurated in January 2000 and as of 2009 have 27 stations between them, not counting the OSE stations on the Airport line. Line 3 reached the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport in summer 2004 and Egaleo in May 2007. All three Metro lines connect with Proastiakos, the Athens Suburban Railway and the Athens Tram system. The length of the blue line (line 3) as of April 2008 is 16.4 km^[3] not including the suburban railway part to the airport, or as of February 2008 around 39.6 km including the 21.2 km of the line that it shares with the suburban railway system of Athens. The length of the red line (line 2) as of February 2008 is around 11.5 km^{[citation needed]} or 10.9 km^[3] as of April 2008. This brings the overall length of the green, red and blue lines to approximately 77 km.

An automatic train supervision system (ATS) and a passenger information system (PIS) made by Alstom cover the whole network.

Ticketing policy

Purchased tickets are valid for 90 minutes(1,5 hour) after validation and can be used for several journeys on the network (lines 1, 2 and 3), as well as in most other means of public transport in Athens including buses, trolleybuses, trams, and the urban part of the suburban railway (between Piraeus, Magoula and Koropi stations, excluding the airport). Passengers must validate their tickets at the machines at the entrance to the station from which the journey starts.^[4]

There are daily and weekly tickets, as well as monthly cards which also apply for all means of public transport in Athens. Fares are checked frequently. Passengers who fail to show a validated ticket or a monthly card are required to pay 60 times the price of a standard ticket.

Airport fares

Travel to and from the Athens International Airport requires a special 6 euros ticket. Return tickets are also available - in September 2010, the return fare for use within 48 hours was 10 euros. There are also two- and three-person one-way tickets.

Line 1 (Green line)

Although often depicted on maps and route diagrams as part of Athens Metro, Line 1 (Green Line), is actually owned and operated by a separate company - Athens-Piraeus Electric Railways.

Line 2 (Red line)

Stations on Line 2

• Aghios Antonios in Peristeri
• Sepolia
• Attiki
• Larissa station – Athens central railway station (OSE, Proastiakos)
• Metaxourgio – north-east of Omonia Square
• Omonia – underneath Omonia Square, connection to Line 1
• Panepistimio – near the University of Athens
• Syntagma – Syntagma Square; connection to Line 3
• Akropoli – stop for the Acropolis
• Syngrou-Fix – near Andrea Syngrou Avenue
• Neos Kosmos
• Aghios Ioannis – next to Vouliagmenis Avenue
• Daphni – in the heart of Daphni
• Aghios Dimitrios/Alexandros Panagoulis - near Agios Dimitrios, Ilioupoli and Vouliagmenis Avenue

Future extensions

Extensions of Line 2 to the northwest (Peristeri) and southeast (along Vouliagmenis Avenue) are under construction. When all of them are operational (2011), the line shall run from Anthoupoli to Elliniko. Further extensions to the northwest are under consideration.^[5][6]

• Anthoupolis (Spring 2011)
• Peristeri (Spring 2011)
• Ilioupoli (Spring 2011)
• Alimos (Spring 2011)
• Argyroupoli (Spring 2011)
• Elliniko, near the old Hellinikon International Airport (Spring 2011)

Line 3 (Blue line)

Stations on Line 3

• Egaleo
• Eleonas
• Kerameikos
• Monastiraki – passenger connection to Line 1.
• Syntagma – next to Syntagma Square, passenger connection to Line 2.
• Evangelismos, close to Hilton Athens and the National Gallery (Athens)
• Megaro Moussikis, next to the Athens Concert Hall (music hall)
• Ambelokipi – near Ambelokipi
• Panormou
• Katehaki
• Ethniki Amyna
• Holargos
• Nomismatokopio
• Halandri
• Doukissis Plakentias, passenger connection with the suburban railway; most trains terminate here, with two trains per hour continuing to Athens International Airport using OSE line.
• Pallini, station shared with the suburban railway.
• Paiania–Kantza, station shared with the suburban railway.
• Koropi, station shared with thesuburban railway.
• Athens International Airport, station shared with the suburban railway.

Future extensions

A new station is under construction between existing stations Halandri and Nomismatokopeio:^[5]

• Aghia Paraskevi (November 2010)

A southwestern extension is under construction and the new station Haidari is scheduled to open in 2011. There are plans to further extend the line from Haidari to Piraeus. If the extension is approved, it shall serve the northwestern suburbs of Piraeus:

• Haidari (under construction, spring 2011)
• Agia Varvara (planned)
• Korydallos (planned)
• Nikaia (planned)
• Tampouria (planned)
• Piraeus (planned)
• Piraeus-Dimotiko Theatro (planned)

A new rolling stock depot is under construction near Eleonas station.

Rolling stock

• First series (delivery): 28 six-car electric multiple units made by Alstom-Siemens-ADtranz (2000). Maximum speed 80 km/h.^[7]
• Second series (delivery): 21 six-car EMU made by Hanwa-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 services. All second series trains are air-conditioned. Maximum speed 80 km/h.
• Third series: Athens Metro ordered 17 additional trains.
• Four service hybrid locomotives made by Kaelble-Gmeinder-Siemens. They can operate from a third rail 750 V DC system or using their own diesel generators. They are of a B-B configuration with a maximum power of 550 kW under diesel traction and 600 kW under electric traction.^[8]
• One rail-road Unimog

Railcar codes: DM: driving motor car, DT: driving trailer, M: motor car, T: trailer, MD: motor car with auxiliary driving facility.

Archaeological excavations and exhibits

During the construction of the metro tunnels, numerous artefacts of archaeological interest were discovered. Their discovery was brought about as a result of what is known as salvage archaeology, this is archaeology that comes into play not because of natural decay but due to the artefacts' imminent destruction by the systematic excavation process. Teams of archaeologists worked ahead of, then alongside, engineers for a total of 6 years. They protected and recorded the archaeological evidence that was uncovered which included ancient streets, houses, cemeteries, sanctuaries, public workshops, foundry pits, kilns, aqueducts, wells, cisterns, drains and sewage tunnels. Together this allowed a new insight into the topography of the city in ancient times. Never before has such a rapid development of infrastructure been accompanied hand-in-hand with the attentive study and preservation of archaeological data.

Exhibitions of ancient artefacts and/or their replicas can be found at various metro stations, such as those of Monastiraki and Syntagma.

Proposed Line 4 (Orange line)

Alsos Veikou - Maroussi (new line, planned, but no funding is secured as of May 2009^[10]) According to the Metro Development Study, two new lines would be constructed, as branches of the existing lines: a line 2 branch from Panepistimio to Alsos Veikou and a line 3 branch from Panormou to Maroussi. Further studies showed that the construction of an new separate line combining these two branches is preferable.^[11] The proposal also recommends lighter rolling stock than the type used in lines 2 and 3. Currently geotechnical investigations are taking place at various locations on the proposed route. The proposed route for line 4 is:

• Alsos Veikou
• Galatsi
• Kypseli
• Dikastiria
• Alexandras
• Exarhia
• Panepistimio/Academia (new station with underpass connection to existing line 2 station)
• Kolonaki
• Evangelismos (existing line 3 station)
• Pangrati / Kaissariani
• Ano Ilissia
• Zografou
• Goudi
• Katehaki (existing line 3 station)
• Faros
• Filothei
• Sidera
• O.A.K.A.
• Paradissos
• O.T.E
• Maroussi (existing line 1 station)

Proposed Future Expansion

In April 2009, The Hellenic Ministry of Public Works released a preliminary proposal for a future expansion of the Attiko Metro, as part of the new Regulatory Plan for Athens and Attica.^[12][13] The proposal was intended to serve as a basis for future expansion of rapid transit in the Attiki basin, specifically stating that the project would not be completed in less than 20 years. The plan also called upon using only revenue from the Metro and highway system as the sole source of funding.

The proposed expansion would bring the system to a total of eight lines (including ISAP Line 1) with a total length of 220 km and serving 200 stations. In addition to small extensions to lines 1, 2, 3 and 4, the proposed expansion would consist of lines 5, 6, and 7 which would cross the Attiki basin, passing through downtown Athens (a branch of line 6 would serve Pireaus) and line 8 as an incomplete circle around Athens.

See also

• ISAP (Line 1)
• Athens Mass Transit System
• Thessaloniki Metro
• List of metro systems

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  Media related to Athens Metro at Wikimedia Commons

References

External links

• Attiko Metro Operation Company S.A. (English)
• Attiko Metro S.A. (English)
• UrbanRail.Net - Athens Metro
• Athens Urban Transport Organisation (OASA) (English)
• Hellenic Ministry of Public Works page on the Attiko Metro
• Network map (real distance)