Attiko Metro SA is a partner of FRONTIER H2020 Project which aims to provide integrated traffic management strategies of the future, taking into account new types and modes of transport automated vehicles, towards the minimisation of pollution and capacity bottlenecks, the reduction of accidents, and the need to reduce the cost of mobility for all users. FRONTIER Platform will act as a collaborative stakeholder platform allowing stakeholders to deliver multimodal solutions, secure transport network’s resilience and optimize planning for events through the development of simulation scenarios. Within FRONTIER Project, a series of pilots are applied, one of which focuses on multimodal transport network of Attica Region, road and Athens metro networks.
The Athens metro is a network of urban railways in Attica Region which has a population around of 3.7 million inhabitants. Athens Metro network is connected to the Suburban Railway, as well as the Tram network, thus forming the core of an integrated public transport network that serves most areas of Attica Region. The Athens metro network offers access to the main gateways of Attica Region which are the Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" located on Eastern Attica, as well as the Port of Piraeus located on Southern Attica.
Recently, Attiko Metro SA, the responsible state body for implementing the development of the Athens Metro network, launched the extension of metro line 3 to Piraeus which connects the Athens International Airport with the port of Piraeus, allowing passengers who travel by metro to reach Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” directly from Piraeus Port and vice versa in just 55 minutes. The operation of the extended metro line 3 strengthens the multimodal profile of Attica Region, while "Piraeus" station becomes an important multimodal hub since Metro Lines 1 and 3, Suburban Railway and Tramway network are functionally connected there.
The smooth operation of metro line 3 and the reliability of the connection of the two main gateways of Attica Region are of the utmost importance for the public transport system in Athens. The extension of the line to Pireaus is expected to increase the total ridership of metro line 3 by over 130,000 passengers/day reaching in total over 530,000 passengers/day, reducing the daily circulation of private vehicles by 23,000 cars and daily carbon dioxide emissions by 120 tons. The increased passenger traffic along metro line 3 calls for an innovative traffic management solution in case of events along this line, such as the one introduced by FRONTIER project. Within FRONTIER Athens Pilot, the FRONTIER platform will be deployed along the multimodal transport corridor from Athens International Airport to Doukissis Plakentias metro station. This particular corridor covers part of metro line 3 and therefore, this is why, the development and deployment of the innovative traffic management solution introduced by the FRONTIER project which will be tested along this corridor will be a necessary and useful tool towards the achievement of smooth traffic operations along this corridor.
The successful deployment of FRONTIER platform will bring benefits to the efficient and safe operation of metro line 3 and as well as to the whole public transport network of Attica Region.
Please, visit the official website of Attiko Metro SA to get informed about the Metro Network of Athens and its new projects.