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Introduction of Athens
The metro is a great way to get around Athens. Its cheap with a very
frequent service. As in all cities, things get a bit crowded in the
rush hour but generally the trains are fast and comfortable.
The new Athens Metro gives the best way to travel trough Athens and
direct connections with the important sites and the Olympic stadiums,
a fast and reliable transportation.
vAthens Metro opened for business in January 2000.Four extensions
have been agreed, with work to commence after the end of the 2004
Olympic Games.
In 1869, a new metropolitan railway was built to link the cities of
Athens and Piraeus, the country's largest port, south-east of the
capital. It was later extended north-east to Kifissia. Until the current
project, this single route was the only metro line serving Athens.
The new system handles 450,000 passengers a day, and is managed by
an independent, state-owned company Attiko Metro SA (AM).
Infrastructure
The original Athens Metro Line 1 (25.6km) from the port of Piraeus,
through Athens centre and on north-eastwards to Kifissia, conveys
300,000 passengers a day.
Line 2 is 10.6km and runs south-north from Dafni to Sepolia, the latter
the site of the main new rolling stock maintenance depot.
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 The
first phase of the 7.6km Line 3, running roughly east-west, links
Votanikos and Ethniki Amyna, again passing under the city centre,
via Syntagma square. This section has created a passenger link between
all three lines.
The sensitive nature of much of Athens' historic city means that all
21 of new stations on Lines 2 and 3 are underground. Many tunnel sections
are built by tunnel boring machines which previously worked in the
Channel Tunnel between England and France.
Stations are impressively, individually designed. All platforms are
a uniform 110m long and the centre piece station at Syntagma Square
in the heart of the city has a mass of individually-designed walls
and piles. Extensive archaeological finds, made during the excavations
at most stations, have been put on display in special glass cases
at the stations themselves.
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Rolling
Stock |
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The original metro line was operated by wooden-bodied trains dating
from 1904, which were built in Belgium. The latest generation of trains
is still somewhat basic by modern light rail standards.
40 new three-car trains have been specified with high-density interiors,
capable of accommodating up to 1,030 passengers under crush loading
conditions. Many more vehicles will be required for the extensions.
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Signalling
/ Communications
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The trains are all fitted with an automatic control system, which
controls headways between them, as well as the speed of each individual
train.
Ticketing systems and stations access are both also fully automated.
A dedicated color light system governs movements along the dedicated
track sections, including in all the tunnels.
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The Future
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1.4 billion has been allocated to extend Lines 1 and 2, connections
to the main line and suburban railways and the new international airport
at Spata. The daily rider ship figure will increase by 200,000.
The Line 1 extension from Syntagma Square/Ethniki Amyna to Stavros
has a May 2004 completion date. All 5km will be underground, with
two of the five stations completed in time for the Olympic Games.
The 4.2km extension of Line 2 (Sepolia/Daphne) to Aegaleo will add
four stations to the network. The line will be entirely underground.
Further work is being undertaken on the 3km Aghios Antonius-Thivon
Avenue section of line, which will add another three stations and
55,000 passengers.
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Art and archaeology
at the Metro stations |
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 During
the large-scale excavations carried out with state-of-the-art instruments
for the long awaited Athens Metro, more incredibly interesting ancient
monuments and artifacts have surfaced. The Metro, although only partly
finished, has greatly improved the life of Athenian commuters. But
besides providing stress-free transportation, it has also created
several underground museums at most of the new stations.
The Syntagma Square station is the crowning achievement in the marriage
between high-tech transport and archaeology. You walk down some marble
steps and find yourself in a modern universe. At Syntagma station,
one can admire the stunning cross-section of the ground, illustrating
the various eras that once flourished in Athens. There are also cases
of ancient objects found during the work on the station. Many people
also are drawn particularly to the turn-of-the-century photographs
of Syntagma square, which speak louder than words about the changes
the capital of Greece has undergone in its most recent past. At the
newer Akropolis station, visitors can admire a different permanent
exhibit: copies of the Parthenon's eastern frieze, wonderfully depicting
goddess Athena's creation, together with many other of the most important
Parthenon sculptures that enrich the British Museum of London.
The station pays homage to the late Melina Mercouri, the well-known
actress who -as Minister of Culture -had made it her life s goal to
get these so-called Elgin Marbles back to Athens. Melina is shown
sitting in front of the Parthenon in a large photograph, while another
most impressive picture on display at the station shows hundreds of
ancient vases being unearthed as the huge crane moved the earth while
digging for the station.
It is not only the works of the various ancient creators and craftsmen
that adorn the various stations of the Athens Metro. The compositions
of modern, well-known Greek artists may also be admired. Yannis Moralis
work can be seen at Panepistimiou station, Zongolopoulos flying umbrellas
hang at an atrium on the Syntagma stop, Chryssa's creation is at Evangelismos,
while at Dafni, Dimitris Mytaras bas-reliefs inspired by the 4th century
BC depiction of the fighter Dexileos cover an area 3 x 11 meters and
dominate the station. These are just an example of the many important
artworks that can be admired at the Metro stops, which have created
small underground art museums in various parts of the city, forcing
even commuters who would never consider going to an art gallery or
museum to get a glimpse of what they have been missing.
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Tickets
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The price of the ticket is 0.73 Euros. Tickets must
be validated, before boarding, through the special Ticket Validating
Machines installed inside the stations. Each ticket is valid for 90
minutes from the time of its validation and for Lines 2, 3 or Line
1 interchanges. It is not valid for return via the route already covered.
Hours of operation: 05.30-24.00
Tickets for either train or Metro can be bought at every station
(and only there, not in kiosks etc., unlike bus tickets). There
are selling counters and automatic machines.
There are also one-day tickets, which can be bought at any station
for 2.90 Euros, good for unlimited travel for 24
hours from the time of first validation and for all public transport
(Metro, train, buses and trolley buses).
The penalty for those traveling without a valid ticket
is 23.50 Euros, charged on the spot.
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