| Olympic Diary |
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| The Athens Metro |
| An ultra-modern underground museum |
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| One of the glass exhibition stands at the Athens metro. |
Athens has been the proud owner of an undergound metro system since January 2000. The Athens Metro, an addition to the city's everyday life of colossal importance has been serving its residents and visitors for more than four years. Without a doubt, it is one of the prettiest and most modern subway systems in the world.
The Metro system today is comprised of two lines that connect to the old Piraeus-to-Kifissia line, designated Line No 1.
Line No 2 (the "Red Line") connects the southern with the western suburbs of the city, and it is planned to expand to further destinations in the coming years. When the line is compleeted, it will reach from the western entrance to the city, near Dafni, all the way to the old Athens International Airport, near Glyfada, and it will have 20 stations.
Line No 3 (the "Blue Line") connects downtown Athens with the northeastern suburbs of Agia Paraskevi and Stavros. The line today extends from the spectacular station of Doukissis Plakentias, in Chalandri, to Monastiraki, near Syntagma Square. The line will eventually reach the western suburb of Aegaleo.
The two new lines, No 2 and No 3, cross at Syntagma Square station. Lines 1 and 2 meet twice: at the Omonoia Square station and at the Attiki station, which is the railway terminal of Athens.
During rush hour the trains pass every 3 minutes and in the off hours every 5-10 minutes. The two new metro lines carry about 550 thousand passengers a day, including many handicapped Athenians, who are properly serviced by the new transport.
The Athens Metro has greatly affected and improved life in this congested city, since it has contributed to a marked reduction in traffic and also in the time it takes to move from one point to another in the city. Distances that used to require 30 minutes or more to cover by car or by bus, now are covered in 9 minutes or less.
Besides being an efficient means of public transportation, the Athens Metro is also a stunning cultural exhibition space. First of all, digging the tunnels under Athens has led to major archeological finds, many of which are duly exhibited in the stations near where they were unearthed. Then, the works of many modern Greek artists are presented in many of the stations, turning them into public galleries.
The Athens Metro system has been attracting non-passenger, art-viewing traffic for more than 4 years now and it has been added to the ancient city's major attractions. |
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