Athens Tram

The Athens Tram is the modern public tram network system serving Athens, Greece. It is owned and operated by Urban Rail Transport (STASY) S.A. (Greek: ΣΤΑΣΥ Α.Ε.).

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
Operation
LocaleAthens, Greece
Open19 July 2004[1]
Statusoperating
Lines2
Owner(s)Urban Rail Transport S.A. (STASY)
Operator(s)Urban Rail Transport S.A. (STASY)
Infrastructure
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge[1]
Stock35 × AnsaldoBreda Sirio[1]
25 × Alstom Citadis 305
Statistics
Route length32.4 km (20.1 mi)[2]
Stops60[1]
Websitestasy.gr

STASY operates a fleet of 25 Alstom Citadis and 35 Sirio vehicles,[1] which serve two tram lines and 60 stops.[3][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 runs along the Athens coastline toward the southern suburb of Voula, while the other heads toward the port of Piraeus. The network covers the majority of the city's Saronic Gulf coastline. Athens' tram system provides average daily service to 65,000 passengers, and employs 345 people.

History
An Alstom Citadis tram
A Sirio tram

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 along the perimeter of Piraeus Harbour by the Hellenic Electric Railways.

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][4] The company started the construction of the tram lines in the beginning of 2002, while the commercial launch of the system took place in July 2004, a few weeks prior to the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. 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.[5] 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.[6]

The section between Syntagma Square and Kasomouli was closed in October 2018 due to ground subsidence in the underground riverbed of Ilisos. This section was reopened in November 2020 after successful test runs deemed the track was safe.[7]

A new section from Neo Faliro to Piraeus for Lines 3 and 4 opened in December 2021 after the completion of realignment works associated with the Faliro Waterfront regeneration project.[8] The extension travels in a one-way loop, with the terminal stop being Akti Poseidonos.[8] Construction began on the segment in 2013 and the first test tram ran the route on 7 February 2019.[8][9]

Ticketing policy
Typical tram station

Ticket counters and automatic ticket machines with touch screens are available in some of the stations.[10]

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).[11]

There are daily and weekly tickets, as well as monthly cards which also apply for all means of public transport in Athens.[12] 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.[13]

Children under 6, the handicapped, and persons currently enlisted in the military are eligible for free transportation.[14]

Routes and stops
Route map showing the three original Athens Tram lines.

Athens Tram consists of two routes: Line 6 (T6) and Line 7 (T7). T6 begins in Syntagma Square in central Athens and travels to the southwest towards the coast, ending at the Pikrodafni stop, while T7 runs along the coast, stretching from the Asklipieio Voulas stop in the south to the Agia Triada stop to the north in Piraeus. Within Piraeus, service operates in a one way loop.[8] A transfer point between the two lines is located at the Pikrodafni stop. The two lines began operation on 6 December 2021, with the planned opening of the stops extending trackage to Piraeus to follow soon after. The terminal stop for T7 was initially Karaiskaki Stadium until service to Agia Triada on the Piraeus extension opened on 15 December.[15][16] The future terminus for the T7 line on the extension at Akti Poseidonos remains unopened.[17]

Prior to the establishment of the T6 and T7 lines, there were three lines named after ancient Greeks: Thucydides (T3), Aristotle (T4) and Plato (T5).[18] These lines had operated from the start of the modern tram network in 2004 until they were replaced by the new lines on 15 December 2021. The following table lists the routes and the stops for the Athens tram:

Current Athens Tram routes
Route First section opened Latest section opened Route Stops
6 December 2021 6 December 2021 Pikrodafni – Syntagma 19
6 December 2021 15 December 2021 Asklepieion Voula – Agia Triada 43
Former Athens Tram routes
Route Map colora First section opened Latest section opened Route Length (km, mi) Stops
Blue 19 July 2004 15 November 2007 SEF – Asklipieio Voulas 21.5 km (13.4 mi) 42
Red 19 July 2004 19 July 2004 Syntagma – SEF 19.6 km (12.2 mi) 39
Green 19 July 2004 15 November 2007 Syntagma – Asklipieio Voulas 18.2 km (11.3 mi) 37

Rolling stock

The Athens Tram opened in 2004 with 35 Sirio trams from AnsaldoBreda.[19] To support expansion of the system, an order was placed in July 2018 for 25 Alstom Citadis 305 trams, delivery of which began in September 2020 and will extend through May 2021.[20]

Athens Tram rolling stock
Year Built Manufacturer Model Image Length Quantity Ref(s).
2004 AnsaldoBreda Sirio 31.9 m (100 ft) 35 [19]
2020–2021 Alstom Citadis 305 33 m (110 ft) 25 [20]

See also

Notes

^a 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.[3][21]

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. "Athens Public Transportation Map" (PDF). Athens Urban Transport Organisation. Retrieved 2013-09-19.
  4. "Attiko Metro S.A. - The Company". ametro.gr. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  5. Law 3920, Government Gazette issue A-33, 2011-03-03.
  6. Ministerial Decision 28737/2637, Government Gazette issue B-1454, 2011-06-17
  7. "Syntagma tram route resuming, Alexandra Kassimi | Kathimerini". www.ekathimerini.com. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  8. "Construction of TRAMWAY extensions". Attiko Metro. 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  9. "Tramway Extension Piraeus: tram re-introduced in the city after 40 years". Edilon Sedra. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  10. "Tram SA - Points Of Sales of tickets". TramSA.gr. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  11. "Σταθερές Συγκοινωνίες Α.Ε. (ΣΤΑ.ΣΥ Α.Ε.):Ενιαία Εισιτήρια".
  12. "Tram SA - Cards". TramSA.gr. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  13. "Tram SA - Fines". TramSA.gr. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  14. "Tram SA - Free transportasion". TramSA.gr. Archived from the original on 2010-05-12. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  15. "New tram routes come into effect in Athens". Kathimerini. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  16. "Δελτιο τυπου - εναρξη λειτουργιας επεκτασης τραμ προς πειραια" (in Greek). STASY. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  17. 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.
  18. "Historical Data". Urban Rail S.A. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  19. "Tramway". Urban Rail Transport S.A. (STASY). Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  20. Miller, Samuel; Collet, Coralie (8 September 2020). "Alstom introduces the Citadis X05 tram to Athens". Alstom. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  21. "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.

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