Athens Tram

This article is about the modern tram network that has operated in Athens since 2004. For Athens' first-generation tram system that operated from 1882-1960, see Trams in Athens.

Athens Tram
Τραμ Αθήνας
Operation
Locale	Athens, Greece
Open	19 July 2004;20 years ago (2004-07-19) [1]
Status	Operational
Lines	2
Operator(s)	STASY
Infrastructure
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge [1]
Propulsion system(s)	Electricity
Electrification	750 V DC overhead
Depot(s)	Elliniko
Stock	35 AnsaldoBreda Sirio 25 Alstom Citadis 305
Statistics
Route length	32.4 km (20.1 mi) [2]
Stops	59 [1]
Overview Legend Akti Poseidonos   Agia Triada Dimarcheio [ Dimotiko Theatro] Plateia Ippodameias Plateia Deligianni 34 Synt. Pezikou Evangelistria Androutsou 0km Lambraki Omiridou Skylitsi Mikras Asias [ Faliro ] SEF 0.000 Gipedo Karaiskaki [ Faliro] 14.200 Syntagma 13.435 Zappio 12.560 Leoforos Vouliagmenis 12.035 Fix [ Syngrou–Fix ] 11.410 Kasomouli 10.850 Neos Kosmos Neo Faliro 0.540 10.425 Baknana Moschato 1.360 9.765 Aegeou Kallithea 1.925 9.250 Agias Fotinis–Plateia Tzitzifies 2.350 8.785 Megalou Alexandrou Delta Falirou 2.900 8.500 Agia Paraskevi Agia Skepi 3.425 8.120 Medeas–Mykalis Trocadero 4.100 7.710 Evangeliki Scholi Parko Flisvou 4.585 7.360 Achilleos Flisvos 5.195 6.825 Amfitheas Batis 5.595 6.385 Panagitsa 5.955 Mousson Edem 6.090 km0 Pikrodafni 6.640 Marina Alimou 7.080 Kalamaki 7.600 Zefyros 8.125 Loutra Alimou 8.660 Elliniko 9.175 1st Agiou Kosma 9.555 2nd Agiou Kosma 9.985 Agios Alexandros 10.705 Ellinon Olymbionikon 11.180 Kentro Istioploias 11.805 Plateia Vergoti 12.400 Paralia Glyfadas 12.920 Paleo Dimarcheio 13.460 Plateia Vaso Katraki 13.895 Angelou Metaxa 14.245 Plateia Esperidon 14.740 Kolymvitirio 15.195 Asklepieio Voulas 16.040 This diagram: view talk edit
Website	https://stasy.gr/en stasy.gr

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. ^[3]

STASY operates a fleet of 25 Alstom Citadis and 35 Sirio vehicles, ^[4] which serve two tram lines and 60 stops. ^{[5] [1]} The tram network spans a total length of 27 kilometres (16.8 mi) throughout ten Athenian suburbs. ^[2] This network runs from Syntagma (central Athens) to the coastal suburb of Palaio Faliro, where the line splits in two branches: the first ends as soon as it meets the Athens coastline at Pikrodafni Station (where it meets the other line), while the other exclusively runs between the Athens riviera (toward the southern suburb of Voula) and the port of Piraeus. The network covers the majority of the city's Saronic Gulf coastline.^{[ citation needed ]} Athens' tram system provides average daily service to 65,000 passengers,^{[ citation needed ]} and employs 345 people.^{[ citation needed ]}

History

Old tram networks (1908-1960)

Main article: Trams in Athens

Athens Tram began its operations in 1882 with horse tramways. After 1908, the metre gauge tram network was electrified and was extended to 21 lines. ^[1] The original Athens tram system ceased operations in 1960 and was replaced by trolleybuses and motorbuses. ^[1] A standard gauge tram system was built by the Hellenic Electric Railways, from the perimeter of the Piraeus Harbour to Perama.

Modern tram system

In March 2001, Tram S.A. was established as a public utility company under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, as a subsidiary company of Attiko Metro S.A., the state company which developed the Athens Metro network. ^{[1] [6]} The company started the construction of the initial network in the beginning of 2002, and was opened by Michalis Liapis (Minister for Transport and Communications) on 19 July 2004, a few weeks prior to the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. ^[7] The construction of the tram network was financed by the Third European Regional Development Fund and Greek state funds. ^[1]

In March 2011, the Greek Government passed Law 3920 to allow ISAP and Tram S.A. to be absorbed by AMEL. ^[8] The resulting company was renamed STASY S.A. (Greek : ΣΤΑΣΥ Α.Ε.) and is a subsidiary of OASA S.A. The merger was officially announced on June 10, 2011. ^[9]

From 19 October 2018 to 20 November 2020, tram services were suspended between Syntagma and Kasomouli, due to concerns over subsidence in the underground riverbed of the Ilisos: ^{[10] [11] [12]} services from Stadio Irinis & Filias to Edem and Mousson were also suspended from 16 March 2020 to 21 January 2021, due to realignment works associated with the Faliro Waterfront regeneration project. ^[13]

Extensions

The first extension of the Athens Tram, consisting of a single-stop 700-metre (2,300 ft) line from Kolymvitirio to Asklepieio Voulas in North Voula, opened on 15 November 2007. ^[14]

The second extension consists of a one-way loop from Stadio Irinis & Filias to Akti Poseidonos, along with twelve new stops: construction work started in 2013, and the first test run of the extension took place on 7 February 2019. ^{[15] [16]} From 28 November 2019, trams heading towards Faliro terminated at Gipedo Karaiskaki instead of Stadio Irinis & Filias, before running out of service towards Akti Poseidonos. ^[17] The loop opened to the public on 15 December 2021, with Agia Triada as the provisional terminus for Line 7. ^{[18] [15]} The final terminus of the extension, Akti Poseidonos, is not yet open as of September 2022 ^[update] . ^[19]

Ticketing policy

Typical tram station

Ticket counters and automatic ticket machines with touch screens are available in some of the stations. ^[20]

Purchased tickets are valid for 90 minutes (1 hour 30 minutes) after validation and can be used for several rides for all means of public transport in Athens including the metro, buses, and the urban part of the suburban railway (between Piraeus, Magoula and Koropi stations, excluding the airport). Passengers must validate their tickets at the electronic validating machines inside the tram vehicle at the start of their ride. The normal adult flat fare is €1.20 (valid for 90 minutes). ^[21]

There are daily and weekly tickets, as well as monthly cards which also apply for all means of public transport in Athens. ^[22] Fares are checked frequently; passengers who fail to show a validated ticket or a monthly card are penalized by a fine of 60 times the price of a standard ticket. ^[23]

Children under 6, the handicapped, and persons currently enlisted in the military are eligible for free transportation. ^[24]

Network

Current routes

Route map showing the three original Athens Tram lines.

The Athens Tram currently consists of two routes, Lines 6 and 7:

• Line 6 starts at Syntagma Square in Central Athens, and runs south west towards the coast, before turning south east at the junction of Poseidonos Avenue and Achilleos towards Pikrodafni in Kalamaki.
• Line 7 starts at Asklepieio Voulas in Voula, running north west along the coast towards Agia Triada in Piraeus, operating in a one-way loop west of Neo Faliro. ^[15]

Lines 6 and 7 (also known occasionally as T6 and T7 respectively) ^[25] were introduced on 6 December 2021, replacing Lines 3, 4 and 5. ^[26] Line 7 was extended from Stadio Irinis & Filias to Agia Triada on 15 December the same year. ^[18] The two lines share tram tracks from Pikrodafni to the junction of Poseidonos Avenue and Achilleos.

Athens Tram routes

Line	Colour a	Opening date	Last extended	Length	Route	Stops
	Green	2004	2004	18.2 km (11.3 mi)	Syntagma – Pikrodafni	19
	Green	2004	2021	16.1 km (10.0 mi)	Agia Triada – Asklepieio Voulas	42

Former routes

The present Athens Tram opened with five lines, which were named after ancient Greeks: Aristophanes (Line 1), Aeschylus (Line 2), Thucydides (Line 3), Aristotle (Line 4), and Plato (Line 5). Line 3 ran between Stadio Irinis & Filias (SEF) and Kolymvitirio, Line 4 ran between Syntagma and SEF, and Line 5 ran between Syntagma and Kolymvitirio. ^[27] Lines 1 and 2 were shortened versions of Lines 4 and 5 respectively, terminating at Leoforos Vouliagmenis instead of Syntagma: Lines 1 and 2 were discontinued in early-2005. ^{[27] [28]}

Lines 3 and 5 were extended to Asklepieio Voulas on 15 November 2007. ^[14] From 28 November 2019, westbound trams of Lines 3 and 4 terminated at Gipedo Karaiskaki instead of Stadio Irinis & Filias. ^[17]

Former Athens Tram routes

Line	Colour [lower-alpha 1]	Opening date	Last extended	Length	Route	Stops
	Red	2004	—	18.0 km (11.2 mi)	Stadio Irinis & Filias – Leoforos Vouliagmenis	26
	Green	2004	—	16.6 km (10.3 mi)	Leoforos Vouliagmenis – Kolymvitirio	35
	Blue	2004	2007	21.5 km (13.4 mi)	Stadio Irinis & Filias – Asklepieio Voulas	31
	Red	2004	—	19.6 km (12.2 mi)	Stadio Irinis & Filias – Syntagma	28
	Green	2004	2007	18.2 km (11.3 mi)	Syntagma – Asklepieio Voulas	37

Stops

Main article: List of Athens Tram stops

Since December 2021, the system consists of 59 tram stops: one additional stop, Akti Poseidonos on the western end of the Piraeus branch, is complete but not yet open. A majority of the stops are within the South and Central Athens regional units: thirteen are in Piraeus, and one is in Voula.

Rolling stock

The Athens Tram opened in 2004 with 35 Sirio trams from AnsaldoBreda. ^[4] To support the extension of the system into the centre of Piraeus, an order was placed in July 2018 for 25 Alstom Citadis 305 trams, delivery of which began in September 2020 and ended in December 2021. ^[30]

Athens Tram rolling stock

Year Built	Manufacturer	Model	Image	Length	Quantity	Ref(s).
2004	AnsaldoBreda	Sirio		31.9 m (105 ft)	35	[4]
2020–2021	Alstom	Citadis 305		33 m (108 ft)	25	[31]

See also

• Transport for Athens
• Piraeus-Perama light railway
• Railway Museum of Athens
• List of rapid transit systems

Notes

1. As of October 2012, none of the organisations behind the construction or operation of the Athens Metro specify the exact line colour values for web or print, but they agree on a general colour scheme for identifying lines. ^{[5] [29]}

References

1. "Urban Rail Transport S.A.: Tramway". Urban Rail Transport S.A. (STASY). July 17, 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
2. "Urban Rail Transport S.A. - THE COMPANY - Commercial Exploitation - TRAM". Urban Rail Transport S.A. (STASY). Retrieved 2013-09-19.
3. "The company". Urban Rail Transport S.A. Athens. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
4. "Sirio Atene" (PDF). AnsaldoBreda. Napoli: Finmeccanica. 8 February 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
5. "Athens Public Transportation Map" (PDF). Athens Urban Transport Organisation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-29. Retrieved 2013-09-19.
6. "Attiko Metro S.A. - The Company". ametro.gr. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
7. "A grand project begins today". Tram S.A. Athens. 19 July 2004. Archived from the original on 29 June 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
8. Law 3920, Government Gazette issue A-33, 2011-03-03.
9. Ministerial Decision 28737/2637, Government Gazette issue B-1454, 2011-06-17
10. "Press release: Suspension of tram routes". Transport for Athens (in Greek). Athens. 18 October 2018. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
11. "The tramway returns to Syntagma". Transport for Athens. Athens. 19 November 2020. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
12. Kassimi, Alexandra (4 November 2020). "Syntagma tram route resuming". Kathimerini. Athens: Kathimerini Publishing. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
13. "The Tram returned to SEF after 10 months". Athens Transport (in Greek). 21 January 2022. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
14. Delezos, Kostas (7 November 2007). "The tram took three years to reach Voula". Ta Nea (in Greek). Athens: Alter Ego Media. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
15. "Construction of TRAMWAY extensions". Attiko Metro. 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
16. "Tramway Extension Piraeus: tram re-introduced in the city after 40 years". Edilon Sedra. Haarlem. 13 February 2019. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
17. "The Gipedo Karaiskaki stop is delivered". Athens Transport (in Greek). 27 November 2019. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
18. "Commencement of the tram extension to Piraeus". STASY S.A. Athens. 14 December 2021. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
19. Roussos, Isidore (6 December 2021). "Tram: The extension to Piraeus has been in operation since Wednesday". Athens 98.4 FM . City of Athens . Retrieved 6 December 2021.
20. "Tram SA - Points Of Sales of tickets". TramSA.gr. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
21. "Σταθερές Συγκοινωνίες Α.Ε. (ΣΤΑ.ΣΥ Α.Ε.):Ενιαία Εισιτήρια".
22. "Tram SA - Cards". TramSA.gr. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
23. "Tram SA - Fines". TramSA.gr. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
24. "Tram SA - Free transportasion". TramSA.gr. Archived from the original on 2010-05-12. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
25. "First and Last Train Departures". STASY S.A. (in Greek). Athens. 19 January 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
26. "New tram routes come into effect in Athens". Kathimerini. Athens: Kathimerini Publishing. 6 December 2021. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
27. "Routes". Tram S.A. Athens. 4 August 2004. Archived from the original on 4 August 2004. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
28. "Routes". Tram S.A. (in Greek). Athens. 17 March 2005. Archived from the original on 20 March 2005. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
29. "Athens Metro Regulatory Plan" (PDF). Attiko Metro S.A. 30 January 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
30. "Alstom's Citadis X05 trams enter passenger service in Athens". Alstom. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
31. Miller, Samuel; Collet, Coralie (8 September 2020). "Alstom introduces the Citadis X05 tram to Athens". Alstom . Retrieved 30 January 2021.

External links

Tram map

• Transport for Athens (OASA), the ticketing authority for the Tram (in English)
• Urban Rail Transport S.A., the operator of the Tram (in English)
• Athens Tram article on UrbanRail.Net
• Athens Tram gallery at public-transport.net (in German and English)