Final countdown for the electrified, Athens Central Railway Station

Train enthusiasts can now feel vindicated for their patience. On Monday, January 30^th, according to information of Ypodomes.com, at 7 am, Athens’ Central R.S. electrification will go operational allowing, for the very first time, uninhibited traffic of electic trains within the urban part of the network.

This is a long-desired development as this project can be traced back to the “Olympic era”, meaning that it is delayed by almost 15 years by now. Sources from TRAINOSE told Ypodomes.com that trial itineraries will start from Monday, January 30 and will include both suburban and intercity trains. These trials intend to test thoroughly the safety and functionality of the new system. When finished, in February, electrified itineraries from Athens Central will become available for the passengers.

It is now a fact that the first electric train will be entering Athens Central in a month’s time. That moment will definitely set a milestone in the long history of the station and will trigger considerable adjustments, for the better, in the itineraries of the trains calling at Athens Central.

Suburban trains’ operation will change significantly as services are expected to become faster and more frequent. Electrification of the railway line towards Piraeus, also within the urban grid, is expected to be completed in the summer allowing suburban trains to serve the Port more efficiently.

Intercity trains will change as well, given that a solid, electrified corridor between Athens and Tithorea will be released. According to the Minister of Infrastructure, Mr. C. Spirtzis, Tithorea-Lianokladi section will be ready by this summer leaving the very last bit of the project between Lianokladi and Domokos for completion in mid-2018. From that point and on, Athens and Thessaloniki travel time will drop to 3 hours and 25 minutes.

Another “collateral” benefit of the station’s electrification would be its possibility to, once again, accept international trains in its platforms after many years. Trains from the Balkans could be linked with Athens and even routes starting from Central Europe, Austria, Germany or Northern Italy could be revived. The electrified station will be able to provide swift and direct access (without any further train changes) of Piraeus and Athens with the Airport (in just 55’ and 40’ respectively).

The benefits of the electrification are immense; the operation costs will be considerably lower while the quality of the services will improve significantly. Suburban trains will harness the potentials (commercial and operational) of a currently, negligently served urban grid. This will, consequently, benefit the local transportation system and decongest traffic as it will represent a reliable and fast alternative to the use of cars.

When everything is set, we expect an average frequency of 10-15 minutes, with regard to suburban railway, which is equivalent to the European standards. What is certain is that, finally, encouraging steps are being made for the commercial success of the train.

Nikos Karagiannis-ypodomes.com

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