Line A1 (Athens Suburban Railway)
Line A1 is an Athens Suburban Railway line in Athens, Greece, managed by Hellenic Train. The service connects Piraeus with the Airport. The line shares a part of its course with lines A2 and A4 as well as Metro line 3, but also with line A3 at Athens. The first Suburban line was inaugurated on 30 July 2004, using 17 OSE Class 560 DMUs between Larissa Station and the [Athens Athens Airport station|Airport station|Airport]. With the completion of the electrification of the sections of the line to Athens in 2017 and Piraeus in 2018. The line now exclusively uses OSE class 460 EMUs rolling stock.
History
The initial planning phase of the service provided for the use of express trains from Piraeus to the Airport with intermediate stations only in Athens, Agioi Anargyroi, Neratziotissa, Kifissias and Dukisis Placentias, and with a journey time of half an hour. In the end, however, the need to connect the capital's international airport with the city's most central station, Syntagma, imposed the joint travel of Suburban and Metro from [Doukissis Doukissis Plakentias station|Plakentias station|Doukissis Plakentias] to the Airport.The first section of what is now Line A1 opened on 30 July 2004: the standard gauge service ran from to the Airport, using Class 560 diesel multiple units. Electric train services using Class 460 electric multiple units were introduced between Neratziotissa and the Airport in 2006. On 4 June 2007, diesel services were extended south from Athens to, replacing the relevant part of the metre-gauge railway of the Piraeus–Patras railway that closed in August 2005.
Direct suburban railway services from Piraeus and Athens to the Airport were suspended on 6 July 2008, forcing passengers to change at and Neratziotissa. Direct services were restored with the electrification of the Piraeus–Platy railway from to Athens on 30 July 2017, and then to Piraeus on 1 February 2018, when the last diesel services on what is now Line A1 ceased.
Route
Line A1 follows the Piraeus–Platy railway from to, before curving east into the Airport–Patras railway, skipping the Acharnes Railway Center. The route then follows the Airport–Patras railway, along the median strip of the A6 motorway, from to.Lines A2 and Athens Metro Line 3 shares the route from the Airport up to Metamorfosi and respectively. However, most Metro Line 3 trains start or terminate at, with a through service to the Airport leaving once every 36 minutes.
Stations
The spelling of the station names on this table, in English and Greek, are according to the signage.| † | Terminal station |
| # | Interchange station |
| Station English | Station Greek | Regional unit | Opened | Interchanges and notes | Position |
| †# | Πειραιάς | Piraeus | 30 June 1884 rebuilt 2007 | Interchange with Athens Metro Line 3. | |
| Λεύκα | Piraeus | 30 June 1884 rebuilt 2007 | |||
| Ρέντης | Piraeus | 30 June 1884 rebuilt 2007 | |||
| Tauros | Ταύρος | South Athens | 1 October 2014 | This station opened after the original route. | |
| Ρουφ | 30 June 1884 rebuilt 2007 | ||||
| Athina # | Αθήνα | Central Athens | 8 March 1904 | Interchange with Hellenic Train, and Athens Metro Line 2 at Larissa Station. | |
| # | Άγιοι Ανάργυροι | West Athens | 8 August 2010 | Interchange with Line A3 to. This station opened after the original route. | |
| Πύργος Βασιλίσσης | West Athens | 27 February 2014 | This station opened after the original route. | ||
| Kato Acharnai # | Κάτω Αχαρναί | East Attica | 27 February 2014 | Interchange with Line A4 to. This station opened after the original route. | |
| # | Μεταμόρφωση | North Athens | 8 August 2010 | Interchange with Line A2 to. This station opened after the original route. | |
| Iraklio | Ηράκλειο | North Athens | 30 July 2004 | ||
| # | Νερατζιώτισσα | North Athens | 6 August 2004 | Interchange with Athens Metro Line 1. This station opened after the original route. | |
| Κηφισίας | North Athens | 30 July 2004 | |||
| Πεντέλης | North Athens | 21 February 2007 | This station opened after the original route. | ||
| Plakentias # | Πλακεντίας | North Athens | 30 July 2004 | Interchange with Athens Metro Line 3 at Doukissis Plakentias. | |
| Παλλήνη | East Attica | 30 July 2004 | |||
| Παιανία - Κάντζα | East Attica | 30 July 2004 | |||
| Κορωπί | East Attica | 30 July 2004 | |||
| Athens International Airport † | Διεθνής Αερολιμένας Αθηνών | East Attica | 30 July 2004 | This station is operated by Athens International Airport S.A. |