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Athens Metro
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This SourceThe Athens Metro is the underground public transport system of Athens, Greece, constructed by the Attiko Metro company (Αττικό Μετρό, literally 'Attican metro') and the ISAP (Ilektrikoi Sidirodromoi Athinon-Pireos) company (Ηλεκτρικοί Σιδηρόδρομοι Αθηνών-Πειραιώς "Athens - Piraeus Electric Railways"). Many ancient buildings, ruins and artifacts were discovered during the excavation works for several downtown stations: most were carefully restored and are displayed within the stations, making the Metro system a daily museum tour of the city's illustrious heritage .
History
Green Line
Metro Line 1 (Green line) was inaugurated on February 27 1869 as a steam train connecting Athens and Piraeus and was operated by Athens Piraeus Railway S.A. The line was electrified in 1904 and the operating company renamed to Athens Piraeus Electric Railway SA in 1976. Today, Line 1 reaches the suburb of Kifisia and is also known as the green line and the electric railway. Its total length as of February 2008 is around 26 Km.Blue and Red lines
Construction of Metro Lines 2 and 3 began in November 1991 to decrease traffic congestion and clean up the environment by reducing Athens' smog level. Lines 2 and 3, constructed by Attiko Metro S.A. and operated by Attiko Metro Operations Company S.A. and known as red and blue lines respectively, were inaugurated in January 2000 and as of 2007 have 26 stations between them. Line 3 reached the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport in the summer of 2004 and Egaleo in May of 2007. All three Metro lines connect with Proastiakos, the Athens Suburban Railway and the tram system. The length of the blue line (line 3) as of February 2008 is around 39,6 km, including the part of the line that it shares with the suburban railway system of Athens. The length of the red line (line 2) as of February 2008 is around 11,5 km. This brings the overall length of the green, red and blue line to approximately 77 km.Archaeological Finds
During the creation of the metro tunnels, several artefacts of arcaeological interest were discovered. This was brought about as a result of what is known as 'salvage archaeology', that is archaeology that comes into play when systematic excavation is required, not by the problems of antiquity but by the imminent destruction of historical material. Teams of archaeologists worked ahead of, then alongside engineers for a total of 6 years. They protected and recorded the archaeological evidence that was uncovered which included Ancient streets, houses, cemeteries, sanctuaries, public workshops, foundry pits, kilns, aqueducts, wells, cisterns, drains and sewage tunnels. Together this allowed a new insight into the topography of the city in ancient times. Never before has such a rapid development of infrastructure been accompanied hand in hand with the attentive study and preservation of archaeological data.Exhibitions of ancient artefacts and/or their replicas can be found in various stations, such as those of Monastiraki and Syntagma.
Ticketing policy
Each ticket costs 0.80 euros and is valid for a single way; a separate ticket should be purchased for the return route. There is also a reduced fare for the price of 0.40 euros which is valid for students (with a valid student card). Tickets are valid for 90 minutes after they have been validated. One must validate one's ticket once at the machines at the entrance of the station from which the passenger starts his journey.
Tickets of 1 euro (reduced fare: 0.50 euros) are valid for 90 minutes after they have been validated and can be used in the subway (lines 1, 2 and 3) as well as in all other means of public transport in Athens (buses, trolleybuses, tram and part of the suburban railway).
There are daily (3 euro) and weekly tickets (10 euros) and monthly cards (standard fare: 38 euros, reduced fare: 19 euros) which also apply for all means of public transport in Athens. Control is frequent. Passengers who fail to show a validated ticket or a monthly card are required to pay 60 times the price of a standard ticket (48 euros).
Pallini-Peania-Koropi fares
Travel to the stations of Pallini, Peania-Kantza, and Koropi is subject to a special ticket that costs 1.80 Euros. Note that the same ticket for the Proastiakos railway costs only 1 Euro.Airport fares
Travel to and from the Athens International Airport requires a special ticket. The one-way ticket costs 6 euros (reduced fare: 3 euros). Also available are return tickets at the price of 10 euros, as well as two- and three-person oneway tickets (fare: 10 and 15 euros, respectively)List of stations of the Athens metro system
Stations in Line 1 (Green line)
- Piraeus, near the Piraeus port, the southernmost station of Line 1
- Faliro, near Peace and Friendship Stadium and Karaiskákis Stadium, connecting with the tram
- Moschato
- Kallithea
- Tavros
- Petralona
- Thissio (Thission)
- Monastiraki, intersects with Line 3
- Omonoia (Omonia), intersects with Line 2
- Viktoria station (Viktoria)
- Attiki, intersects with Line 2
- Agios Nikolaos
- Kato Patissia
- Agios Eleftherios
- Ano Patissia
- Perissos
- Pefkakia
- Nea Ionia
- Heraklio
- Eirini, near the Athens Olympic Sports Complex
- Nerantziotissa, intersecting with the suburban railway
- Marousi
- KAT, near the KAT Hospital
- Kifissia, the northernmost station of Line 1
Stations in Line 2 (Red line)
- Aghios Antonios in Peristeri
- Sepolia
- Attiki
- Larissa station – Athens central railway station (OSE, Proastiakos)
- Metaxourgio – north-east of Omonia Square
- Omonia – underneath Omonia Square, connection to Line 1
- Panepistimio – near the University of Athens
- Syntagma – Syntagma Square; connection to Line 2
- Akropoli – stop for the Acropolis
- Syngrou-Fix – near Andreas Syngrou Avenue
- Neos Kosmos
- Aghios Ioannis – next to Vouliagmenis Avenue
- Daphni – in the heart of Daphni
- Aghios Dimitrios/Alexandros Panagoulis - near Agios Dimitrios, Ilioupoli and Vouliagmenis Avenue
