Athens Metro Line 4 Extension to Boost Connectivity in the Northern Suburbs

The new Metro Line 4 is big news for Athens and the entire metropolitan area. This is the main Phase A of the project, which will transform many areas of the city.

No one can deny that after 20 years of waiting, the time has come to extend the metro along Kifisias Avenue. This will be Phase B of the project. At Elliniko Metro, it is being considered as one of the key future expansions of the network.

Athens’ most important axis, connecting the city center with the northern suburbs, has long been a target for Attiko Metro and every government since 2000, when Metro Lines 2 and 3 first opened. However, it remained in the background.

Expansion to the North

Now, however, it is clear that this must be the next major priority for Athens. This expansion, beyond covering Kifisias Avenue up to its connection with Attiki Odos, continues northwest through Marousi and Pefki, reaching Lykovrysi.

It is a highly necessary addition for further easing the city’s road congestion. Apart from the obvious benefit of creating new stations along Kifisias Avenue, the extension to Lykovrysi will establish a new transportation hub at Kifisos. Moreover, it will be the first metro station located so close to the National Highway, laying the groundwork for the first-ever decongestion of this key corridor.

This expansion also facilitates the connection of Line 4 at Katehaki station with Line 3 (a connection widely recognized as a mistake for not being included in the project’s first phase), at Kifisias station with the Suburban Railway (at a key transport hub of the capital), and at Marousi station with Line 1. This will enable the seamless operation of an integrated transportation network across the wider northern suburbs.

This extension includes 11 stations:

• Katehaki
• Faros
• Filothei
• Sidera
• Olympic Stadium
• Paradeisos
• OTE
• Marousi
• Pefki
• Lykovrysi

It will be 13 km long, and preliminary estimates put its cost at over €1.7 billion. The biggest challenge in implementing this extension, aside from its planning and development, is securing funding, which will be sought through future financial instruments.

Beyond the crucial coverage of Kifisias Avenue and its commercial developments, this extension will also serve OAKA (Olympic Athletic Center of Athens) with the Olympic Stadium station, as well as the growing commercial hub in that area.

This extension will also enable the connection of Line 4 at Katehaki station with Line 3, at Kifisias station with the Suburban Railway (at a key transport hub of the capital), and at Marousi station with Line 1. This will contribute to the creation of a seamless and integrated transportation network across the wider northern suburbs.

For more details and the complete article in Greek, click here