Athens transit plan targets 455 kilometres of metro and tram lines by 2045

Athens’ public transport authority, OASA, has presented a long-term plan for 455 kilometres of metro and tram lines and 274 stations by 2045, according to Kathimerini. The network is being designed around a projection of 5.7 million daily public-transport trips. The plan links the capital’s transport needs to the continued growth of residential areas in eastern Attica, where places once used mainly as seasonal communities are becoming permanent neighbourhoods.

The strategy also contains nearer-term measures. OASA intends to add 10.5 kilometres of dedicated bus lanes and reduce peak waiting intervals on 20 high-frequency routes from 12 minutes to eight minutes. Kathimerini reported that the changes are expected to lift ridership by between 10% and 15%. Those figures describe the authority’s expectations for the proposed interventions, not a result already recorded on Athens routes.

The longer horizon is similarly framed as a target. The plan seeks to raise public transport’s share of daily trips from 28% to 40% by 2035. Its proposed vehicle mix includes electric buses, hydrogen vehicles and new-generation trolleybuses. Taken together, the measures address both the physical reach of the network and the type of vehicles operating it, while keeping the stated objective focused on moving more daily journeys by public transport.

For residents travelling between central Athens and the wider Attica region, the eastern expansion described by OASA is relevant because the authority is planning around changing settlement patterns rather than only existing central districts. Dedicated bus lanes and shorter intervals would affect surface transport sooner than the 2045 network target, if the proposals proceed. The report does not establish when each project will be delivered or how it will be financed.

Kathimerini’s account therefore presents an Athens transport programme at two speeds: immediate service and bus-lane priorities, alongside a longer-term metro and tram blueprint. The 28% to 40% modal-share objective, the 5.7 million daily-trip projection and the proposed 455-kilometre network are planning parameters. They should be read as stated targets while OASA develops the strategy.

OASA’s stated figures also show why the proposal combines network construction with operating changes. A future total of 455 kilometres and 274 stations would address coverage over decades, while a change from 12-minute to eight-minute peak headways concerns the experience of using existing high-frequency routes. The source keeps both elements within one strategy, but it does not say that either target has already been funded or scheduled for completion.

Sources: www.ekathimerini.com.