Athens

Greece (Europe)

Date of opening [d.m.y]	1954
Network length	52 km (32.32 mi)
Number of stations	48 (44*)
Number of lines	3
Stations per line	16.00
Avg. station distance*	1.18 km (0.73 mi)
Avg. line length	17.33 km (10.77 mi)
*with transfer stations counted once
World Metro List by J. Serradell, 1/2008.

System known as	Metro
Annual ridership	Unknown
Track orientation	Right
Air-conditioned trains	Yes
Walk-through trains	Yes
Rubber-tyred trains	No
Driverless lines	No
Platform screen doors	No
Metro Features List

Metro Arts and Architecture

Examples of good station design:

	Athens There are works of art in some of the metro stations. Some of the newer stations have even been turned into downright museums [tourtripgreece.gr], [ametro.gr]. Photo [untergrundbahnen.de]: The large upper concourse hall of Syntagma station (opened in the year 2000) with its murals and lots of archaeological displays.
	Photo: Replica of Parthenon friezes in the entrance hall of Akropoli station, which has been opened in 2000.
	Photo [untergrundbahnen.de]: Ethniki Amyna station (line L3), opened in the year 2000, with the art installation Underground Park by Kostas Tsoklis.

Departure Procedure and Sounds

There is a series of beeps that starts when the doors start closing and stops when they are closed. Then when a train reaches the next station there is a ding-dong and a station announcement in both Greek and English (English added for the 2004 Olympics). Lines 2 and 3: There is a continuous beep when the doors start closing until they are closed.

Archaeology

When two new metro lines were planned to be opened on occasion of the Olympic Games in 2004, this arose much concern in the international archaeological community since tunnels, ventilation shafts, and five stations located in the heart of the ancient city could destroy valuable information about the city's history. Athens has strict preservation laws, and the construction turned out to be an archaeological milestone. 30,000 artifacts were found on 70,000 square meters, the largest excavation project in Greece so far. The Ministry of Culture now features the most important of the excavated objects in permanent displays at three metro stations in the city centre (Syntagma, Evangelismos, and Academia) and at the University of Athens, Zographou campus [2].
Exhibits in stations:

Academia: Objects found during metro construction on display.
Evangelismos: Objects found during metro construction on display.
Monastiraki: From line 1 platform, a bridge made of glass leads through ancient sewers and foundations excavated during station construction.
Syntagma: Many archaeological exhibits, including amphoras, a tomb with skeleton, and other objects. The concourse wall shows cross-sections of the ground.

Other Rail Transport in Athens

Suburban metro

Metros to Beaches

Mediterranean Sea: Metro Line 1 at Faliro station is within walking distance of a beach (although the water is not very clean in the city's vicinity). There is also a new tram line that runs from the center of the city to the shore which then splits and runs for several kilometers each way along the shore.

Handpicked Resources

greece-now.org

Underground Battle. The Story of the Tug of War Between Archaeologists and Metro Developers over the Kerameikos Cemetery. 2001.

Useful Links for Athens Metro

Search (Google) (will most likely bring up Athens Metro's official website)
System maps (Google Images)
City map (Google Maps) (might show metro stations when zoomed in)
Images (Google Images)
Search urbanrail.net
Wikipedia page
Athens city information (Wikipedia)

Other City Pages at Metro Bits

This page: http://mic-ro.com/metro/metrocity.html?city=104

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