Tram systems in Athens
Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece, situated in the Attica region. Its historic centre, dominated by the Acropolis, forms the heart of a large urban area extending towards the port of Piraeus and the coastal suburbs along the Saronic Gulf. The city is Greece’s principal administrative, economic and cultural centre.
Athens has an extensive public transport network comprising three Metro lines, trams, buses and trolleybuses, complemented by suburban railway services. The Metro provides the main rail connections across the urban area, including links to Piraeus and Athens International Airport, while the tram serves the southern suburbs and waterfront.
Urban public transport is coordinated by OASA under the Transport for Athens identity. The Metro, tram, buses and trolleybuses share an integrated ticketing system, although special conditions apply to airport journeys.
The modern Athens tram system opened in 2004, shortly before the city hosted the Olympic Games. It connects central Athens with the southern suburbs and provides a coastal route between Piraeus and Voula.
The network operates as two lines:
- T6 runs between Syntagma in central Athens and Pikrodafni, passing through Neos Kosmos, Nea Smyrni and Palaio Faliro.
- T7 runs between Akti Poseidonos in Piraeus and Asklipiio Voulas, serving the waterfront through Palaio Faliro, Alimos, Elliniko and Glyfada.
The two lines share the section between Edem and Pikrodafni, allowing passengers to change between services for central Athens, Piraeus and the southern coast. In central Piraeus, T7 follows a one-way loop, serving different stops on its outward and return journeys.
Further information about each tram line is available in the Lines tab.
STASY (Urban Rail Transport)
STASY operates the Athens tram network and all three Metro lines. It forms part of the OASA public transport group and provides official information about tram routes, timetables, accessibility and service alterations. OASA provides information about the wider urban transport network and integrated tickets.
Useful official links:
Trams first appeared in Athens in 1882, when horse-drawn services began operating through the city. Steam trams followed in 1887, and electric operation began in 1908, gradually replacing the earlier forms of traction. The tramway became an established part of everyday travel in the Greek capital during the first half of the twentieth century.
The wider Athens and Piraeus area also had separate tramway operations. An electric suburban tramway between Piraeus and Perama opened on 20 July 1936, serving the industrial waterfront west of the port. This line had a different history from the central Athens network.
The original Athens tram network closed in 1960, bringing the first period of tram operation in the capital to an end. The separate Piraeus–Perama tramway survived until 1977. Its closure removed the last remaining tram service from the wider urban area, although the Athens–Piraeus electric railway, now Metro Line 1, continued operating.
Trams returned to Athens on 19 July 2004, shortly before the Olympic Games. The modern system connected central Athens with the southern suburbs and the coastal corridor, establishing a new network after an absence of more than four decades from the city’s streets.
In 2007, the coastal route was extended from Kolymvitirio in Glyfada to Asklipiio Voulas, adding a new southern terminus beside the hospital in Voula.
The modern tramway was initially operated by TRAM S.A. In June 2011, the tram operator merged with the Metro and Athens–Piraeus electric railway operators to form STASY, bringing the urban rail networks under a single operating company.
The contract for the extension through central Piraeus was signed in January 2013. The new route used different streets for its outward and return tracks, creating a one-way loop through the city centre and towards the port.
Construction was completed in 2019, but passenger operation was delayed. A fire in a building beside the tracks on Omiridou Skylitsi Street in January 2020 raised concerns about the building’s stability and prevented the extension from opening until the safety issues had been resolved. Passenger services finally began on 15 December 2021.
Ahead of the opening, services were reorganised on 6 December 2021 into two lines: T6 between Syntagma and Pikrodafni, and T7 linking Voula with Piraeus. This established the present operating pattern, with passengers changing between the two lines for journeys between central Athens and much of the coast.
Although the Piraeus extension opened in 2021, Akti Poseidonos did not initially enter passenger service. The stop opened on 18 February 2026, replacing Agia Triada as the Piraeus terminus of T7 and bringing the final outstanding stop on the extension into use.
Athens currently has 2 tram lines, which are listed below.
| Line | Description |
|---|---|
| T7 | Line T7 runs between between Akti Poseidonos and Asklipiio Voulas, via Palaio Faliro, Alimos, Elliniko and Glyfada. |
| T6 | Line T6 runs between between Syntagma in central Athens and Pikrodafni, via Neos Kosmos, Nea Smyrni and Palaio Faliro. |
The Athens tramway uses standard-gauge track of 1,435 mm and is electrified at 750 V DC through overhead wires. Trams collect power using roof-mounted pantographs. The network operates at surface level, largely on reserved tracks, with road crossings controlled by traffic signals.
The infrastructure comprises a route from Syntagma through the southern suburbs to the coast, where it connects with the coastal corridor between Piraeus and Voula. Most sections have double track, while the central Piraeus extension uses separate streets for its outward and return tracks, forming a one-way loop. T6 and T7 share the section between Edem and Pikrodafni.
Stops provide step-free access to the low-floor trams, with ramps connecting platforms to the surrounding streets. Passenger information includes electronic arrival displays and audible announcements.
The fleet is stabled and maintained at Elliniko depot, which is connected to the coastal passenger route by a dedicated access line. Its facilities include maintenance workshops, vehicle lifting equipment and an underfloor wheel lathe.
AnsaldoBreda Sirio
The original fleet comprises 35 AnsaldoBreda Sirio trams supplied for the modern system’s opening in 2004. These articulated, low-floor vehicles have driving cabs at both ends and doors on both sides. They are approximately 32 metres long and 2.4 metres wide, with air-conditioned passenger accommodation.
Alstom Citadis X05
A further 25 trams were supplied by Alstom to expand the fleet and support the Piraeus extension. They entered passenger service in December 2021, supplementing the original Sirio vehicles.
The Citadis X05 trams have five articulated sections and measure approximately 33.4 metres long and 2.4 metres wide. They feature a fully low-floor interior, wide double doors, wheelchair spaces, air conditioning and electronic passenger information displays. Their maximum operating speed is 70 km/h, although speeds in service depend on the alignment and local restrictions.