Line A1 (Athens Suburban Railway)
Rapid transit line in Athens, Greece
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The initial planning phase of the service provided for the use of express trains (Airport Express) from Piraeus to the Airport with intermediate stations only in Athens, Agioi Anargyroi, Neratziotissa, Kifissias and Doukissis Plakentias, and with a journey time of half an hour. In the end, however, the need to connect the capital's international airport with the city's central metro hub, Syntagma, imposed the joint travel of Suburban and Metro from Doukissis Plakentias to the Airport.
The first section of what is now Line A1 opened on 30 July 2004. The standard gauge service ran from Athens to the Airport, using Class 560 diesel multiple units. Electric train services using Class 460 electric multiple units were introduced between Neratziotissa and the Airport in 2006. On 4 June 2007, diesel services were extended south from Athens to Piraeus, after the completion of construction on the alignment of the former metre-gauge Piraeus–Patras railway that closed in August 2005.
Direct suburban railway services from Piraeus and Athens to the Airport were suspended on 6 July 2008, forcing passengers to change at Ano Liosia and (until 14 February 2009) Neratziotissa. Direct services were later restored with the completion of electrification works on the Piraeus–Platy railway from Agioi Anargyroi to Athens on 30 July 2017, and then to Piraeus on 1 February 2018.
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Route
Line A1 follows the Piraeus–Platy railway from Piraeus to Kato Acharnes, before curving east into the Athens Airport–Patras railway, bypassing the Acharnes Railway Center. The route then follows the Airport–Patras railway, along the median strip of the A6 motorway (Attiki Odos), from Metamorfosi to Athens Airport.
As of September 2026, there are 20 pairs of trains per day, with a frequency of one train every two hours. On weekdays, there is an extra pair of trains, with an extra airport-bound train during the early morning, and an extra Piraeus-bound train during the late evening, both of which begin/terminate at Tavros.
Lines A2 and Athens Metro Line 3 shares the route from the Airport up to Metamorfosi and Pallini respectively. However, most Metro Line 3 trains start or terminate at Doukissis Plakentias, with a through service to the Airport leaving once every 36 minutes.
Map
Stations
The spelling of the station names on this table, in English and Greek, are according to the signage.