Athens public transport upgraded: New trains, “smart” network, and more frequent metro and bus routes

On Wednesday evening, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport announced the largest overhaul of municipality proscription successful decades, unveiling a wide involution program covering buses, the Metro, the electrical railway, and integer services, aiming to amended regular commuting successful Athens.

The announcements were made by Deputy Transport Minister Konstantinos Kyranakis during an lawsuit titled “Public Transport is Changing Athens,” held astatine the STASY depot successful Sepolia, successful the beingness of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

At the halfway of the program is the renewal of the autobus fleet, with much than 1,076 caller vehicles already added to service, portion the full people is expected to scope 1,700 caller buses wrong the adjacent 2 years. According to the announcements, the caller vehicles usage anti-pollution technology, with portion of the fleet being electric, strengthening “green” municipality mobility.

At the aforesaid time, changes are besides being introduced to high-traffic “model lines,” aiming for much predominant and reliable services. The interventions interest 15 large autobus routes, wherever waiting times are expected to beryllium importantly reduced.

Major upgrades are besides planned for fixed-track transport systems specified arsenic the Metro and the electrical railway. According to the announcements, 19 next-generation bid sets volition beryllium purchased for Metro Lines 2 and 3, alongside infrastructure upgrades. At the aforesaid time, a afloat reconstruction programme for 14 bid sets connected Line 1 of the electrical railway is underway.

According to STASY, these interventions are expected to importantly trim waiting times astatine stations. In particular, connected Line 1 (ISAP), intervals during highest hours are expected to beryllium reduced to arsenic small arsenic 5 minutes, portion connected Metro Line 3 the extremity is trains each 3.5 minutes by 2027.

Special accent is besides being placed connected the integer translation of nationalist transport, done the usage of real-time information and artificial quality applications for monitoring and managing the network. The extremity is faster occupation solution and improved way reliability.

During the event, 5 caller specially designed vehicles for transporting radical with disabilities were besides presented, joining services for citizens with reduced mobility. Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited some the OSY depot, wherever helium inspected the caller electrical buses, and the STASY depot successful Sepolia, wherever the archetypal afloat reconstructed Line 1 bid was presented.

The authorities described the task arsenic a broad concern successful the capital’s nationalist proscription system, focusing connected fleet renewal, accrued way frequency, integer modernization, and improving the commuting acquisition for citizens.

Mitsotakis: We are upgrading transport with caller trains, caller buses, and caller unit hires

Kyriakos Mitsotakis recalled that since 2022 the authorities has operated nether the slogan “we said it, we did it,” arguing that this is present reflected successful measurable results for Athens transport. “With large satisfaction, I spot improvements successful citizens’ evaluations of nationalist transport successful the Attica basin,” helium said, portion acknowledging that galore much steps inactive request to beryllium taken.

The Prime Minister besides emphasized enactment for nationalist transport employees, announcing the signing of corporate labour agreements arsenic agreed betwixt unions and managements. He described this arsenic “a tangible convey you and recognition” for frontline workers, stressing that their wages should bespeak the large effort they marque daily.

“We admit the publication of employees to improving the representation of municipality transportation,” helium said.

Mitsotakis besides referred to plans for much predominant routes and fleet expansion, noting that caller bid sets are already being introduced, with the extremity of reaching 3.5-minute intervals during unreserved hour. He added that the authorities volition usage each disposable backing tools for the wide modernization of nationalist proscription successful the capital.

He besides highlighted the argumentation of maintaining debased summons prices, describing it arsenic a deliberate societal argumentation choice, noting that Athens has “the cheapest summons successful each of Europe.” He added that efforts against fare evasion would proceed truthful that “if we supply a service, we each wage for it fairly.”

Kyranakis: The biggest translation of municipality transport successful decades

Deputy Minister Konstantinos Kyranakis, accompanied by Transport Secretary General Stelios Sakaretsios and the CEOs of OASA, STASY, and OSY, presented the cardinal reforms being implemented successful municipality transportation, focusing connected fleet renewal, modernization of obstruction systems, further routes, and importantly improved work frequency.

He noted that the large summation successful rider traffic, particularly connected buses, reflects the instrumentality of much and much citizens to nationalist proscription done a operation of interventions already afloat underway:

1. The largest autobus fleet renewal programme successful decades, with much than 1,076 caller vehicles already successful cognition and a people of 1,700 caller buses wrong the adjacent 2 years.
2. Interventions to amended waiting times connected 15 high-traffic “model routes,” aiming for denser and much reliable schedules.
3. Strengthening fixed-track transport with 19 new-generation bid sets for Metro Lines 2 and 3, alongside infrastructure upgrades.
4. The extended reconstruction programme for 14 Line 1 trains, expected to trim waiting times to 5 minutes during highest hours.

Kyranakis emphasized:

“For us, nationalist proscription is overmuch much than infrastructure, vehicles, and routes. It is the regular dignity of the citizen. It is idiosyncratic reaching their destination safely, consistently, and respectfully. It is the worker’s close to get to work, the young person’s close to get to university, the aged person’s quality to determination easily, and the family’s accidental for a amended mundane life.

Because conscionable arsenic successful each journey, successful authorities excessively we indispensable retrieve wherever we started. What our starting constituent was successful 2019. Where we are today, successful 2026. And supra all, however we proceed from present on. With much projects, much responsibility, and much attraction for citizens.

Ultimately, advancement is not measured lone successful kilometers of lines oregon numbers of projects. It is measured by whether citizens consciousness their lives are improving. That is wherever authorities is judged. That is wherever the authorities is judged. That is wherever each our work is judged.”

He concluded by saying that “the biggest translation of municipality proscription successful caller decades is being implemented by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.”

Transport Secretary General Stelios Sakaretsios stated that municipality transport is moving “from the epoch of Excel sheets and delayed reports into an epoch of real-time operations,” utilizing information and artificial quality to summation contiguous web visibility and intervene faster and much effectively.

OASA CEO Antonis Kerastaris said Athens transport is changing with a caller fleet, integer tools, and much reliable commuting, portion STASY CEO Athanasios Kottaras noted that much than 800,000 passengers usage Metro Lines 1, 2, and 3 and the tram daily.

OSY CEO Stefanos Agiasoglou added that roadworthy transport has undergone a implicit transformation, with 1,076 brand-new buses already successful cognition and 700 drivers hired since 2020, helping trim waiting times and amended rider acquisition portion besides promoting greenish municipality mobility with zero-emission vehicles.