Athens Airport Station

Αεροδρόμιο Airport
Airport station platforms (April 2011)
Location	Attica Greece
Coordinates	37°56′13″N 23°56′41″E / 37.9369°N 23.9447°E / 37.9369; 23.9447Coordinates: 37°56′13″N 23°56′41″E / 37.9369°N 23.9447°E / 37.9369; 23.9447
Owned by	Athens International Airport
Line(s)	Athens Metro Line 3 Athens Airport–Kiato railway[1]
Train operators	TrainOSE
Construction
Structure type	at-grade
Parking	Yes
Disabled access
Other information
Website	http://www.ose.gr/en/
History
Opened	2004
Electrified	Yes
Services
Preceding station   Athens Metro   Following station Koropi towards Agia Marina Line 3 Terminus Preceding station   Proastiakos   Following station Koropi towards Piraeus Piraeus – Airport Terminus Koropi towards Ano Liosia Ano Liosia – Airport Terminus
Location
Ano Liosia Location within Greece

The Athens Airport Station is a train station in Athens that serves Athens International Airport. It operates on both the Proastiakos suburban rail line as a well as Line 3 of the Athens Metro. It is the first and only train station in Greece that is not managed by GaiOSE, a subsidiary of OSE, the national rail company. It is owned by the airport, which charges the train operating companies (TrainOSE and STASY) fees to use it.

History

The station opened in 2004. Although it was projected that only commuter rail would use the station, Attiko Metro (the company that used to manage the Athens Metro; merged with Tram S.A. to form STASY) decided to extend line 3 to the airport. However, building new tracks was not economically viable, so the route would be served by dual-voltage 2nd Generation Trains and would share tracks with Proastiakos trains between a tunnel portal just after Doukissis Plakentias Station and the Airport. Because of the limited availability of these trains (7 in total), only 2 trains per hour reach the station, leaving the airport at the hour and every half hour from 06:30 to 22:30.^[2]

The decision to extend metro line 3 to the Airport forced a change to the station design; metro trains have a higher floor than Proastiakos trains, so the central track had to be lowered. This is why initial services to the airport did not use any stations between Doukissis Plakentias and the airport. The intermediate stations did not have the tracks lowered; parts of the platforms were raised in 2006. After that all intermediate stations were used by both services, Proastiakos and the Athens Metro.

Platforms

Athens Airport Station has two island platforms and three tracks. Track 1 is not used due to low traffic, Track 2 is used by the Metro, and Track 3 is used by Proastiakos. All trains terminate at this station.

Access

The railway station is immediately adjacent to the airport terminal, which is accessible by an elevated walkway. Because of the additional cost of using the station, there is a surcharge for passengers entering or exiting at the airport. As of 2018, the base fare to the airport is €10 with varying prices for round trips or groups.^[3]

Future developments

As the airport's passenger numbers are rising, services may get denser and platform 1 could be used again. Moreover, for many years there have been plans to extend Proastiakos services to Rafina, a suburb of Athens and the third largest harbour of the city as well. Although original plans show the line branching off the main one after Pallini or Doukissis Plakentias Station, then running in a reserved-for-this-purpose median of the A64 Mount Hymmetus Ring Road and then extending to Rafina, recent plans have called for an extension of the line from the Airport. Such an extension would be shorter and less expensive to build, however, it has been unpopular due to the fact that the travelling time from and to Rafina will be longer and certain areas will not be served.

References