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An express rail network to connect Athens and its close suburbs

Served by a network of suburban trains operated by the Greek rail company, the city of Athens had been planning for several years to set up a new network resembling the French RER (Express rail network) to serve its suburbs. Its aim was to connect all neighboring cities within a star-shaped network and to reduce travel time to the capital.

Creating a rapid suburban network

When Athens was selected to host the Summer 2004 Olympic games, the demand for this network became more urgent and it had to be set up faster than previously planned.

Proastiakos, a subsidiary of the Greek railway company, chose RATP Développement to operate the Athens RER (already undergoing construction at the time) for a period of three years, from January 1st 2004 to December 31st 2006.

Setting up a proficient operating system

The network was designed with three branches:
- a Piraeus-Athens-Airport branch measuring approximately 60 km
- an Athens-Chalkida-Thives branch measuring approximately 100 km
- an Athens-Corinth-Loutraki branch measuring approximately 100 km,
A total of 260 km of RER lines, which should, once completed, transport over 300 000 passengers per day.

RATP Développement was put in charge of opening all three lines. The first, serving the Olympic stadium, had to be operational for the 2004 Olympic games.

The tasks are the following:
- recruit and train executives and operating staff
- write all management, security and operating procedures
- manage and supervise staff in practice
- make sure all lines run correctly once works are completed

Launched in several phases

Presently, 45% of the lines are operational. In accordance with schedule, the first RER line was launched on July 29th 2004, and serves the airport, Olympic stadium and center of Athens. The second line (Athens-Corinth-Loutraki) was launched in October 2005. The third and last line will be operational in 2007.

During a visit of RATP’s CEO to Athens in February 2006, the Greek minister of transport declared he was very satisfied with RATP Développement’s contribution to the implementation of Athens’ RER network.