Athens Suburban Railway

"Proastiakos SA" was founded in 2003 as a subsidiary of OSE to serve the operation of the suburban network in the urban complex of Athens during the 2004 Olympic Games. The first line, linking central Athens with Athens International Airport, was inaugurated on 30 July 2004, two weeks before the 2004 Olympic Games. This first section was not electrified and operated DMU'S every half hour.[5] In January 2005 the test routes to Corinth started and the line was delivered to the public on 27 September that same year.[6] Also in 2005 Proastiakos was absorbed by the company TRAINOSE SA., which was now responsible for providing all rail passenger and commercial transport. In 2007, with the completion of the works of the Airport-Patras line to Kiato, Proastiakos expanded services on what is now Line 5[7] while in 2009 services where expanded to Chalkida forming Line 3.[8] TrainOSE has been operating since 2008 as a company independent of OSE, still using the Proastiakos emblem. In 2009, with the Greek debt crisis unfolding OSE's Management was forced to reduce services across the network. Timetables were cut back, and routes closed as the government-run entity attempted to reduce overheads. Services from Athens Airport & Athens were cut back, with some ticket offices closing, reducing the reliability of services and passenger numbers.

However, from 2010, the electrification works of the lines with 25 kV AC, 50 Hz began to be completed, allowing the use of the Siemens Desiro 460 trains. The electrification projects were completed in the SKA department. - Kiato in 2010,[9][10] on the Oinoi–Chalcis line in 2013,[11] in the sections SKA-Oinoi and Treis Gefyres – SKA in 2015,[12] and finally in the section Three Bridges – Piraeus in 2018.[13] In fact, the advent of electrification in SS. Athenson July 30, 2017 led to the modification of the lines of the Suburban Railway to have as a starting point the central station of the capital.[14] In 2017 OSE's passenger transport sector was privatised as TrainOSE, currently, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane[15] infrastructure, including stations, remained under the control of OSE. On 1 February 2018, the electrification of the Piraeus-Athens Central station section of the network was completed. The Athens Suburban Railway was extended to Aigio in 2020.[4]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, TrainOSE provide free antiseptic gel to the passenger public in order to disinfect those who use the commuter train.[16]

The Athens Suburban Railway consists of five routes: Piraeus–Airport via Athens, Piraeus–Kiato via Athens, Athens–Chalcis via Oinoi, Ano Liosia–Airport via Koropi, and Aigio–Athens/Airport via Kiato.[17] Trains run from 4:30 am to midnight daily, and there are 53 stations in total.[17]

On 18 January 2012, services were "temporarily" suspended on routes from Piraeus - Ano Liossia.[18] According to a TrainOSE spokesperson, the interruption is due to technical problems; however no information on the progress of any work was given,[18] services were rerouted via SKA.

The suburban railway connects with other rail services at the following stations:

#	Station	Lines	Services	Connections	Regional unit
1	Acharnes	Athens–Chalcis			East Attica
2	SKA *	Ano Liosia–Airport Athens–Chalcis			East Attica
3	Afidnes	Athens–Chalcis			East Attica
4	Agioi Anargyroi	Athens–Thessaloniki			West Athens
5	Agios Georgios	Athens–Chalcis			Boeotia
6	Agios Stefanos	Athens–Chalcis			East Attica
7	Agioi Theodoroi	Piraeus–Kiato Aigio–Airport			Corinthia
8	Agios Thomas	Athens–Chalcis			Boeotia
9	Aigio †	Aigio–Airport Aigio–Athens Aigio–Kiato		Bus[24]	Achaea
10	Akrata	Aigio–Airport Aigio–Athens Aigio–Kiato			Achaea
11	Ano Liosia	Piraeus–Kiato Ano Liosia–Airport Aigio–Airport			West Attica
12	Aspropyrgos	Piraeus–Kiato			West Attica
13	Athens *†	Athens–Thessaloniki			Central Athens
14	Athens Airport *	Piraeus–Airport Ano Liosia–Airport Aigio–Airport			East Attica
15	Avlida	Athens–Chalcis			Euboea
16	Avlona	Athens–Chalcis			East Attica
17	Chalcis	Athens–Chalcis			Euboea
18	Corinth	Piraeus–Kiato Aigio–Airport Aigio–Athens			Corinthia
19	Dekeleia	Athens–Chalcis			East Attica
20	Diakopto *	Aigio–Airport Aigio–Athens Aigio–Kiato			Achaea
21	Dilesi	Athens–Chalcis			Boeotia
22	Doukissis Plakentias *	Piraeus–Airport Ano Liosia–Airport Aigio–Airport			North Athens
23	Eliki	Aigio–Airport Aigio–Athens Aigio–Kiato			Achaea
24	Irakleio	Piraeus–Airport Ano Liosia–Airport			North Athens
25	Kalochori-Panteichi	Athens–Chalcis			Boeotia
26	Kato Acharnes	Piraeus–Airport Piraeus–Kiato			West Athens
27	Kiato *	Piraeus–Kiato Aigio–Airport Aigio–Athens Aigio–Kiato		Bus[24]	Corinthia
28	Kifisias	Piraeus–Airport Ano Liosia–Airport Aigio–Airport			North Athens
29	Kinetta	Piraeus–Kiato			West Attica
30	Koropi *	Piraeus–Airport Ano Liosia–Airport			East Attica
31	Lefka	Piraeus–Airport Piraeus–Kiato			Piraeus
32	Lygia	Aigio–Airport Aigio–Athens Aigio–Kiato			Corinthia
33	Lykoporia	Aigio–Airport Aigio–Athens Aigio–Kiato			Achaea
34	Magoula	Piraeus–Kiato Aigio–Airport Aigio–Athens			West Attica
35	Megara	Piraeus–Kiato Aigio–Airport Aigio–Athens			West Attica
36	Metamorfosi	Piraeus–Airport Ano Liosia–Airport			North Athens
37	Nea Peramos	Piraeus–Kiato Aigio–Airport Aigio–Athens			West Attica
38	Nerantziotissa *	Piraeus–Airport Ano Liosia–Airport Aigio–Airport			North Athens
39	Oinofyta	Athens–Chalcis			Boeotia
40	Oinoi *	Ano Liosia–Airport			Boeotia
41	Paiania–Kantza *	Piraeus–Airport Ano Liosia–Airport			East Attica
42	Pallini *	Piraeus–Airport Ano Liosia–Airport			East Attica
43	Pentelis	Piraeus–Airport Ano Liosia–Airport			North Athens
44	Piraeus *	Piraeus–Airport Piraeus–Kiato			Piraeus
45	Platanos	Aigio–Airport Aigio–Athens Aigio–Kiato			Achaea
46	Pyrgos Vasilissis	Piraeus–Airport Piraeus–Kiato			West Athens
47	Rentis	Piraeus–Airport Piraeus–Kiato			Piraeus
48	Rouf	Piraeus–Airport Piraeus–Kiato			Central Athens
49	Sfendali	Athens–Chalcis			East Attica
50	Tavros	Piraeus–Airport Piraeus–Kiato			South Athens
51	Xylokastro	Aigio–Airport Aigio–Athens Aigio–Kiato			Corinthia
52	Zefyri	Piraeus–Kiato			West Athens
53	Zevgolatio	Piraeus–Kiato Aigio–Athens			Corinthia

Athens Suburban Railway map c.2012, in English and Greek

The suburban train, in the sections Magoula-Koropi and Piraeus-Dhekelia are part of the urban zone of OASA, therefore the single ticket that is used and combined with all means of transport in Athens is valid.[25] Outside the urban area, a different ticket is valid, which is priced in stages and issued by Hellenic Train.

The photography in the publicly accessible areas of both OSE and the Athens Suburban Railway (defined as passenger space on trains and at stations) is permitted, as the right of photographers to photograph within the Suburban Railway is covered by the Constitution. The issue was mediated by the Ombudsman between 2004 and 2008 on the occasion of the attempt to temporarily ban photography during the Olympic Games. The court ruled that "the requirement of a 'photography permit' is tantamount to a ban" and that "there is no legal authority to impose restrictions on the right to photograph spaces and slides by definition accessible to the public".[26]

• Hellenic Railways Organisation
• Hellenic Train
• Proastiakos
• Public transport in Athens
• Athens Metro
• Athens Airport–Patras railway
• Piraeus–Patras railway
• Proastiakos Patras
• Thessaloniki Suburban Railway
• Rail transport in Greece