The final steps for the return of the Tram to Syntagma

We are moving towards the date that the Tram will return to the center of Athens, and more particularly to Syntagma, after 2 years of absence. After the successful tests towards Vouliagmenis Avenue that started from the middle of October, the final step, which is none other than the extension of the test routes to Syntagma, starts today.

This becomes possible as the Municipality of Athens started last night removing the overlap of the lines in the part that was temporarily allocated to it, (i.e. on the tram lines on V. Olgas and V. Amalias) in order to speed up the test routes. The works will not have any impact on traffic as they concern a limited part of the tram lines.

In fact, in a relevant announcement of the Municipality, it is mentioned that “The Municipality of Athens welcomes the test routes for the reopening of the tram in order to reach Syntagma again as soon as possible.

The Municipality of Athens, which supports in every way the strengthening of the operation of the means of public transport, is helping in every way that it can so that the tram is put back in order again in its entire network “.

The test routes

The test routes to Syntagma are expected to start within the week, maybe from Wednesday and are the final step of returning the public transport to the city center. Before and after the works of the Municipality of Athens have been completed, the electric drive, i.e. the overhead power line, must be checked to determine that everything is working safely.

From the intensive route tests to date, the positive indications continue, and as far the sensors are concerned there hasn’t been detected any deformation of the underground conductor plate by this movement.

In anticipation of the test routes to Syntagma, all indications are that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport will proceed quickly, perhaps until the end of November, with a gradual restoration of the route to Syntagma, more than two years after the closure of the Neos Kosmos-Syntagma section.

This will also mark the end of a period when the Tram for the second time in its history (in Athens) was challenged not only as a useful means for the city center, but more generally as a means of transport, which -in addition to the Suburban Railway to Metro- can be the backbone of the city’s urban transport.

What about Faliro and Piraeus

At the same time, as it seems, we are coming to a happy ending for the other issue of the Tram at the end towards Piraeus. There, according to information, the delivery of the relocated line to Faliro from the Attica Region to STASY is possible towards the end of November.

If the issue of the building in Homeridou Skylitsi is resolved by the Municipality of Piraeus (with its partial demolition), the way is open for the start of operation of the extension to Piraeus by the end of the year.

The extension of the means to Piraeus will extend the network by 5.4 km, to the center and the port of the city, with a single circular line that will be connected to the future Metro stations “Piraeus” and “Municipal Theater”, transforming the tranport to the big port of the country.