TheAthens Tram is the modern publictram network system servingAthens,Greece. The system is owned and operated bySTASY, which replacedTram S.A. in June 2011.[4]
STASY operates a fleet of 25Alstom Citadis and 35Sirio vehicles,[5] which serve two tram lines and 60stops.[6][2] The tram network spans a total length of 27 kilometres (16.8 mi) throughout ten Athenian suburbs.[7] This network runs fromSyntagma (central Athens) to the coastal suburb ofPalaio 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 ofVoula) and the port ofPiraeus. The network covers the majority of the city'sSaronic Gulf coastline.[citation needed] Athens' tram system provides average daily service to 65,000 passengers,[citation needed] and employs 345 people.[citation needed]
Athens Tram began its operations in 1882 withhorse tramways. After 1908, the metre gauge tram network was electrified and was extended to 21 lines.[2] The original Athens tram system ceased operations in 1960 and was replaced bytrolleybuses and motorbuses.[2] A standard gauge tram system was built by theHellenic Electric Railways, from the perimeter of the Piraeus Harbour toPerama.
In March 2001,Tram S.A. was established as a public utility company under the supervision of theMinistry of Transport and Communications, as a subsidiary company of Attiko Metro S.A., the state company which developed theAthens Metro network.[2][8] The company started the construction of the initial network in the beginning of 2002, and was opened byMichalis Liapis (Minister for Transport and Communications) on 19 July 2004, a few weeks prior to the2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.[9] The construction of the tram network was financed by theThird European Regional Development Fund and Greek state funds.[2]
In March 2011, the Greek Government passed Law 3920 to allow theAthens–Piraeus Electric Railways and Tram S.A. to be absorbed by AMEL.[10] 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 10 June 2011.[11]
From 19 October 2018 to 20 November 2020, tram services were suspended betweenSyntagma andKasomouli, due to concerns oversubsidence in theunderground riverbed of theIlisos:[12][13][14] services fromStadio 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.[15]
The first extension of the Athens Tram, consisting of a single-stop 700-metre (2,300 ft) line fromKolymvitirio toAsklepieio Voulas inNorth Voula, opened on 15 November 2007.[16]
The second extension consists of a one-way loop fromStadio 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.[3][17] From 28 November 2019, trams heading towards Faliro terminated atGipedo Karaiskaki instead of Stadio Irinis & Filias, before running out of service towards Akti Poseidonos.[18] The loop opened to the public on 15 December 2021, withAgia Triada as the provisional terminus for Line 7.[19][3] The final terminus of the extension, Akti Poseidonos, is not yet open as of September 2022[update].[20]
In the early 2000s there was proposal for the tram lines to be extended towardsKeratsini,Perama andSalamina. With a large part of the lines being underground, especially in Keratsini. With around an estimated 8,9 km the cost was expected to be around 180 million euros. But in 2018 a combined backlash by both local organisations and municipal governments halted the aforementioned plans, with now a new metro line being suggested instead.[21]
Ticket counters and automatic ticket machines with touch screens are available in some of the stations.[22]
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 themetro, buses, and the urban part of thesuburban 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).[23]
There are daily and weekly tickets, as well as monthly cards which also apply for all means of public transport in Athens.[24] Fares are checked frequently; passengers who fail to show a validated ticket or a monthly card are penalised by a fine of 60 times the price of a standard ticket.[25]
Children under 6, the handicapped, and persons currently enlisted in the military are eligible for free transportation.[26]
The Athens Tram currently consists of two routes, Lines 6 and 7:
Lines 6 and 7 (also known occasionally as T6 and T7 respectively)[27] were introduced on 6 December 2021, replacing Lines 3, 4 and 5.[28] Line 7 was extended fromStadio Irinis & Filias to Agia Triada on 15 December the same year.[19] The two lines share tram tracks from Pikrodafni to the junction of Poseidonos Avenue and Achilleos.
| Line | Coloura | 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 |
The present Athens Tram opened with five lines, which were named afterancient Greeks:Aristophanes (Line 1),Aeschylus (Line 2),Thucydides (Line 3),Aristotle (Line 4), andPlato (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.[29] 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.[29][30]
Lines 3 and 5 were extended to Asklepieio Voulas on 15 November 2007.[16] From 28 November 2019, westbound trams of Lines 3 and 4 terminated atGipedo Karaiskaki instead of Stadio Irinis & Filias.[18]
| Line | Colour[a] | Opening date | Last extended | Length | Route | Stops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Red | 2004 | N/a | 18.0 km (11.2 mi) | Stadio Irinis & Filias –Leoforos Vouliagmenis | 26 |
 | Green | 2004 | N/a | 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 | N/a | 19.6 km (12.2 mi) | Stadio Irinis & Filias –Syntagma | 28 |
 | Green | 2004 | 2007 | 18.2 km (11.3 mi) | Syntagma –Asklepieio Voulas | 37 |
Since December 2021, the system consists of 59 tram stops:[1] 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 theSouth andCentral Athens regional units: thirteen are inPiraeus, and one is in Voula.
The Athens Tram opened in 2004 with 35Sirio trams fromAnsaldoBreda.[5] To support the extension of the system into the centre of Piraeus, an order was placed in July 2018 for 25Alstom Citadis 305 trams, delivery of which began in September 2020 and ended in December 2021.[32] The tram depot is in Elliniko.
| Year built | Manufacturer | Model | Image | Length | Quantity | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | AnsaldoBreda | Sirio |  | 31.9 m (105 ft) | 35 | [5] |
| 2020–2021 | Alstom | Citadis 305 |  | 33 m (108 ft) | 25 | [33] |
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