Metro passengers will not be able to reach the Athens International Airport directly from the city center but will need to change at <Doukissis Plakentias> station. The same is valid the other way around, that is from the Airport to the city.
The measure will go into effect as of 1. November 2018 and is permanent.
In a statement issued by Urbain Rail Transport STASY, the managing company announced the measure on Monday, October 29.
According to the statement, two metro trains per hour will take passengers from/to <Doukissis Plakentias> to/from the Athens Airport.
The Metro
- for the Airport will leave <Doukissis Plakentias> at 00:25 and 00:55 every hour.
- for <Doukissis Plakentias> will leave the Airport at 00:00 and 00:30 every hour.
In case passengers will want to move to the city via Proastiakos they will need to change the platform.
With these changes, Proastiakos will be the only public transport on rail tracks to take passengers directly to the airport from the port of Piraeus and Larissis Train Station in Athens.
Alternatively passengers can use the Buses from/to the city and the Airport.
Website athenstransport notes that a better solution would have be that the Airport Metro would halt to <Monastiraki> station in downtown Athens [due to the connection to urban train ISAP] or continue until the end station of Line 3 to <Agia Marina>.
The measure was necessary due to the metro extension to Nikaia in Piraeus next year, the website writes adding that the STASY does not have enough metro trains available to meet the new requirements.
I don’t know what factors the Trasnportation Ministry took into consideration for this new transport horror but these were certainly not the passengers’ comfort.
PS With all the changes that have taken place in the last few years, we will be happy to be able to use only one public transport means further than 3-4 km…. And what’s my problem with this? Too much waiting at bus/metro/tram stops and waste of time.
Not to mention the problems elderly, mothers with small kids and people with with disabilities experience.
