Electric Multiple Units (EMU) are powered on the metro network of Athens, with five or six coaches. EMU-5s are of a former type and are limited to Line 1. On Lines 2 and 3, routes are only operated with EMU-6s. The trainsets were put into operation by STASY (Statheres Sygkoinonies) in 2011, with its establishment (previously operated from the companies ISAP S.A. for Line 1 and AMEL S.A. for Lines 2&3).
In the early period (1869–1904) the railway used 22 steam tank locomotives of about 6 different types. The majority were of 2-4-0T configuration, made in the United Kingdom by Hudswell Clarke and Sharp Stewart. [1] After electrification, some the steam locomotives were sold to the Hellenic State Railways (SEK). [2]
Name(s) | Type | Quantity | Manufacturer | Serial Nos. | Year | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Constantine | 0-6-0T | 1 | Hudswell Clarke | 1868 | ||
Olga , George | 2-4-0T | 2 | Hudswell Clarke | 1868 | ||
0-4-2T | 1 | Neilson & Co. | 1866 | |||
2-4-0T | 1 | Sharp Stewart | c.1878 | |||
2-4-0T | 6 | Sharp Stewart / Hudswell Clarke | 1879–1884 | |||
2-4-0T | 2 | Sharp Stewart | 1892 | |||
Marina | 0-6-0ST | 1 | Manning Wardle | 1892 | to SEK 51, class Δα (1st) | |
4-4-0T | 2 | Neilson & Co. | 1892 | to SEK 301–302, later 21–22, class Γα | ||
0-4-2T | 3 | Saint-Léonard | 1896 | |||
Initially Attica Railways used nine Tubize 0-6-2T steam locomotives (1885). Later it acquired nine Krauss Z 2-6-0T, plus one of the same type constructed in Piraeus by Vassiliadis Works. After 1929 only the Tubize locomotives remained in use on the Kifissia line, as the Krauss locomotives were transferred to SPAP for the Lavrion branch. [4]
Since electrification (1904) the railway used almost exclusively electric multiple unit (EMU) trains. The vehicles are classified in batches (or deliveries). The first four batches consisted of wooden passenger cars on iron or steel frames. Currently[ when? ] only a train of six wooden railcars is preserved, modified with the addition of Scharfenberg couplers at each end and is displayed during special events.
The first generation rolling stock was numbered as in the following table: [5]
Marking | number | type |
---|---|---|
A1 to A11 | 11 | DT |
Γ417 to Γ427 | 11 | DT |
F410 to F418 | 18 | T |
B601 to B621 | 21 | DM |
Total | 61 | |
The fifth (1951), sixth (1958) and seventh (1968) batches were of steel construction, made by Siemens-MAN. At the same time Scharfenberg couplers were introduced.
Trains of batch 9 were made by LEW in the German Democratic Republic and have been withdrawn. Trains of batches 8,10,11 which also part of third generation EMUs are still in use.
Batch | Year | Configuration | Type | Numbering | Description | Photograph |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9th | 1983–1985 | DM-M+M-DM | DM | 1101–1125 | 50 railcars made of aluminium LEW (type GIII) in EMU-4 sets later rearranged in EMU-6 (DM-M+M-DM+M-DM). In limited use after 1999 and all withdrawn until 2004. | |
M | 2201–2225 |
In 1904 two electric locomotives, numbered 20 and 21, were bought from Thomson-Houston.
In 1911 the railway bought from Goossens two steeple-cab electric locomotives (numbered 31 and 32) and a self-propelled electric freight railcar (41), capable of operating from third rail or overhead line. These could operate over the Piraeus Harbour tramway, the Piraeus-Perama light railway as well as on the mainline to Thision and Omonoia. Freight railcar 41 was used initially to carry bags of transcontinental mail unloaded from passenger liners in Piraeus. Locomotive 32 is still in use, with the overhead collector removed.
In addition the railway owns a road-rail Unimog car and a ballast tamper.
During 1981–1984 ISAP leased six four-car, bright yellow trains of narrow loading gauge (type G-I or Gisela) from East Berlin's metro.
In the early 1980s consideration was given to the purchase of 60 secondhand cars of London Underground R Stock, built between 1938 and 1959, but ultimately no deal was made and new carriages were purchased instead. [6]
Athens & Piraeus Railway, in common with most railways of the steam era, had its own rolling stock heavy maintenance works, located next to Piraeus station. In 1926 this became property of E.I.S. In addition to maintenance, repair and rebuilding, Piraeus works constructed a significant number of railway cars, mostly between 1880 and 1960. The most significant projects were the construction of 12 electric rail cars in 1923 and the rebuilding of rolling stock destroyed by allied bombing in 1944. [7] Another noteworthy project was the construction of a small number of electric trams, based on a Dick Kerr model (1939).
An excellent example of the technical skill available at Piraeus works is the Royal Saloon (1888), a present to King George I of Greece. This luxurious vehicle was much admired and it was exhibited at the 1888 "Olympia Fair" (First Athens International Exhibition) held in Zappeion. The Royal Saloon survives to date, and is exhibited in the Railway Museum of Athens.
Batch | Manufacturer | Image | Lines | Number of Coaches per Trainset | Number of Doors per Side | Passengers | Max Speed (km/h) | In service since | About |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8th Batch | MAN SE, Siemens Mobility, LEW | 8th Batch trainset at Piraeus station in (2011) | 5 | 4 | 830 (174 seated and 656 standing (5 persons/ m 2) | 80 km/h | 5.01.2022 | The 8th batch, also known as Columbia, from the well-known space shuttle is the oldest of the series of trainsets that runs on the Athens Metro network. As of 2021, 14 trainsets is under upgrade. | |
10th Batch | MAN SE, AEG, Siemens Mobility, Hellenic Shipyards Co. | 10th Batch trainset near Thissio station in (2009) | 5 | 4 | 830 (174 seated and 656 standing (5 persons/ m 2) | 80 km/h | 5.01.2022 | The 10th batch is the second oldest range of wagons that runs on the Athens Metro network. They are identical in appearance with the 8th batch and known by the same nickname. An upgrade of the train is anticipated. | |
11th Batch | Adtranz, Siemens Mobility, Hellenic Shipyards Co., Bombardier Transportation | 11th Batch trainset at Neratziotissa (2007) | 6 | 4 | 1,002 (216 seated and 786 standing (5 persons/ m 2) | 90 km/h | 5.01.2022 | The 11th batch was the only batch of Line 1 of the Athens Metro which has 6 coaches, before 1st generation trains of the Lines 2 and 3 enter service on Line 1. An upgrade of the trains is anticipated. | |
1st Generation | Siemens Mobility, Daimler-Benz, Alsthοm | 6 | 4 | 1,030 (806 standing, 244 seated)(5 Passengers / sq.m.) | 80 km/h | 2000 | The 1st generation is the oldest batch of 2 and 3 line trainsets and the only one in the whole network with sliding doors and not locking doors. Some first generation trains are also used on line 1. |
Name | Manufacturer | Image | Lines | Number of Coaches per Trainset | Number of Doors per side | Max Speed (km/h) | Passengers | Units | In operation since | About |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st Generation | Siemens Mobility, Daimler-Benz, Alsthοm | 6 | 4 | 80 km/h [8] | 1,030 (806 standing, 244 seated)(5 Passengers / sq.m.) | 28 | 2000 (Tests had already begun from 1999) | The 1st generation is the oldest batch of 2 and 3 line trainsets and the only one in the whole network with sliding doors and not locking doors. Some first generation trains are also used on line 1. | ||
2nd Generation | Hanwha-Rotem, Mitsubishi Vapor, Knorr-Bremse | 6 | 4 | 80 km/h (DC) 120 km/h (DC/AC) [9] | 1,062 (196 seated, 866 standing) (DC)
| 21 (7 DC/AC & 14 DC) | 24.08.2024 | The second generation operates under the standard line voltage of 750 V DC from third rail, but 7 trains from line 3 are able to operate under 25 kV 50 Hz AC from overhead catenary with a pantograph in order to serve the section from Doukissis Plakentias to the Airport. | ||
3rd Generation | Hyundai Rotem, Siemens Mobility | 6 | 4 | 80 km/h [10] | 1.032 (844 standing, 188 seated) ( 5 passengers / sq.m.) | 28 | 24 08 2024 | The 3rd generation is the latest model of trainsets running on the Athens Metro network. |
Generation | Year | Configuration | Type | Numbering | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 2000 | DT-M-MD+MD-M-DT | DT | A01-A56 | 56 EMU-3 halfsets operating as 28 EMU-6 trains. Made by Alstom–Siemens–Adtranz . MD railcars have an auxiliary driving facility used only for shunting. |
M | B01-B56 | ||||
MD | C01-C56 | ||||
2nd (DC) | 2003–2004 | D-T-M+M-T-D | D | D201-D228 | 28 EMU-3 halfsets operating as 14 EMU-6 trains. Made by Hanwha-Rotem-Mitsubishi. |
T | T201-T228 | ||||
M | M201-M228 | ||||
2nd (DC/AC) | 2003–2004 | D-T-M+M-T-D | D | D251-D264 | 14 EMU-3 halfsets operating as 7 EMU-6 trains. Made by Hanwha-Rotem-Mitsubishi, can also operate on 25 kV AC, 50 Hz lines. |
T | T251-T264 | ||||
M | M251-M264 | ||||
3rd | 2012–2013 | D-T-M+M-T-D | D | D301-D334 | A contract for 17 air conditioned EMU-6 trains was signed on 2009-09-16 with Hyundai Rotem. [14] 34 EMU-3 halfsets entered service as 17 EMU-6 trains in June 2014. |
T | T301-T334 | ||||
M | M301-M334 |
Railcar codes: DM: driving motor car, DT: driving trailer, M: motor car, T: trailer, MD: motor car with auxiliary driving facility.
Line 4, at some point under the original design, will have automatic trains without a driver. [15] In November 2020, Alstom was chosen to supply the line with 20 4-car automated Metropolis trains, operated under Urbalis 400 signalling system. [16]
The Athens Metro is a rapid-transit system in Greece which serves the Athens urban area. Line 1 opened as a single-track conventional steam railway in 1869 and was electrified in 1904. Beginning in 1991, Elliniko 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 or tender, like the Line 2 extension to Ilion where tender started in 2023, 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 and the Athens Suburban Railway. The Athens Metro is hailed for its modernity, 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 will be the only metro system in Greece, until the Thessaloniki Metro begins operation in 2024.
Transport for Athens, officially the Athens Urban Transport Organisation, is the operator of public transport in Athens, Greece. Transport for Athens, through its subsidiary companies, operates metro, tram, trolleybus and bus services in the Athens metropolitan area.
The Hellenic Railways Organisation or OSE is the Greek national railway company which owns, maintains and operates all railway infrastructure in Greece with the exception of Athens' rapid transit lines. Train services on these lines are run by Hellenic Train S.A., a former OSE subsidiary, Rail Cargo Logistics Goldair, Pearl and Grup Feroviar Român.
The Athens–Piraeus Electric Railways, commonly abbreviated as ISAP, was a company which operated the Piraeus - Kifissia line from 1 January 1976 to 17 June 2011. Piraeus - Kifissia line was the oldest urban rapid transit system of Athens metropolitan area. The line opened in 1869 as a suburban railway line connecting Athens with its port of Piraeus and it was gradually converted to full rapid transit operations, making it one of the oldest metro lines in the world. The line which ISAP S.A. operated evolved from the older Athens & Piraeus Railway and Lavrion Square-Strofyli railway.
Ano Patisia, also known as Ano Patissia on signage, is an Athens Metro station in Ano Patisia, Athens, Greece. It is located at 15.269 km from the starting point in Piraeus. The current station is built on a viaduct at the location of a train station on the former Lavriou Square-Strofyli railway line.
Tavros, officially Tavros–Eleftherios Venizelos is a station on Line 1 of the Athens Metro, 6.171 km from the line's southern terminus at Piraeus. It is located in the municipality of Tavros in the regional unit of South Athens, Attica, near the boundary with Kallithea. The station is also known as Tavros-Eleftherios Venizelou, after the former Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos.
The Lavrion Square–Strofyli railway was a 1,000 mm metre-gauge railway line that ran from Lavrion Square in downtown Athens to the northern suburb of Kifissia and its local neighbourhood of Strofyli.
The Railway Museum of Athens, Greece, was founded by the Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE) in 1978.
Rail transport in Greece has a history which began in 1869, with the completion of the then Athens & Piraeus Railway. From the 1880s to the 1920s, the majority of the network was built, reaching its heyday in 1940. From the 1950s onward, the railway system entered a period of decline, culminating in the service cuts of 2011. Ever since the 1990s, the network has been steadily modernized, but still remains smaller than its peak length. The operation of the Greek railway network is split between the Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE), which owns and maintains the rail infrastructure; GAIAOSE, which owns the building infrastructure and the former OSE rolling stock, Hellenic Train; and other private companies that run the trains on the network. Greece is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Greece is 73.
Early development of railway transport in Greece involved a number of different companies, which had created their own workshops for maintenance and constructions. The most important were Railway Works in Piraeus, originally operated by Athens-Piraeus Railways, and Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways, which, in addition to maintenance, repair and rebuilding, have entirely constructed a significant number of railroad cars, mostly between 1880 and 1960. Other noteworthy constructions included a small number of electric trams built by EIS in 1939, and one of Greece's first Diesel locomotives, designed and built by SPAP in 1961.
Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways or SPAP was a Greek railway company founded in 1882 as a private company, owning and operating the 1,000 mm Piraeus–Patras railway line connecting Piraeus and Athens to Peloponnese. The company was nationalized in 1954 and formally absorbed by the Hellenic State Railways in 1962.
Athens–Lavrion Railway was a 1,000 mmmetre gauge railway line connecting downtown Athens with Eastern Attica and the mining town of Lavrion in Greece.
Thessaly Railways was a private railway company in Greece, which owned and operated the metre gauge railway network of Thessaly and Pelion railway from 1884 to 1955, when the private company was absorbed by the Hellenic State Railways state-owned company. Today the term usually refers to the section of mainline between Domokos and Rapsani and its two branches, the West Thessaly branch to Kalambaka and the Volos branch.
Pelion railway is a 600 mm narrow gauge railway line of Thessaly Railways private-owned company in Greece, connecting the city of Volos with the town of Mileai on Pelion.
The Piraeus-Perama light railway was a standard gauge suburban light railway line in Greece which connected Piraeus with Perama and Salamis Naval Base. The line was owned by the Hellenic Electric Railways private company and operated from 1936 to 1977.
The Electric Railways Museum of Piraeus is a railway museum in Piraeus, Athens, Greece. The museum was established in 2005 in the space of the former Post Office in Piraeus railway station. The museum displays a collection of small size items, photographs and documents related to the history of Athens-Piraeus Railway, Hellenic Electric Railways (EIS), Piraeus-Perama light railway, Piraeus Harbour tramway, Electric Transport Company (IEM) and Athens-Piraeus Electric Railways (ISAP). The museum also owns a collection of approximately 2000 small and medium size items and 3000 books, leaflets and other documents, currently in storage.
The first railway signalling in Greece was installed on the Athens–Piraeus Railway at the turn of the 20th century, when semaphores and boards were added with the line's electrification. Other Greek trains at that time were controlled by signals given manually by station masters. During World War II, German occupation forces installed mechanically operated semaphore signals at the entrance to all stations, with some light signals at busy stations. Modern signalling is provided through colour light signals. Radio communication between train stations and drivers was introduced in 1973 and digital communication is an ongoing present-day introduction.
A number of private industrial railway lines were constructed in Greece for exclusive use by major mining operations and by extensive industrial facilities. There were also a few temporary lines, used for the construction of major public works. Most of them were either metre gauge or 600 mm narrow gauge.
Hellenic Train S.A. is the main company alongside small private companies, maintains, repairs, manages and operates a variety of railway rolling stock, which belongs to the Greek State, except the Hellenic Train's ETR 470. The origin of these trains is mainly German, Greek assembly.
The history of rail transport in Greece began in 1869, with the construction of the link between Piraeus and Athens with private funding.
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