Line 4 of the

Athens Metro The Athens Metro ( el, Μετρό Αθήνας, Metro Athinas, translit-std=iso) is a rapid-transit system in Greece which serves the Athens urban area and parts of East Attica. Line 1 opened as a conventional steam railway in 1869 and electri ...

is a future line that will run from Alsos Veikou to Goudi. Construction of the line started in mid to late-2021 and is scheduled to be completed in 2029 or 2030. Line 4 had been under consideration for many years. Its exact route was changed multiple times. One of the most famous routes was the U-shaped line from to (which are current stations of lines 1 and 3 respectively), including a branch to

Vyronas Vyronas ( el, Βύρωνας) is a suburban town and a municipality in the southeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. The town is named after George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, the famous England, English poet and writer, who is a F ...

. However, the route from Alsos Veikou to Goudi was chosen, as it has the benefit of being the one passing from the densely populated areas of central

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...

, like Galatsi,

Exarheia Exarcheia ( ) is a community in central Athens, Greece close to the historical building of the National Technical University of Athens. Exarcheia took its name from a 19th century businessman named Exarchos (Greek: Έξαρχος) who opened a larg ...

Kolonaki Kolonaki (, ), literally "Little Column", is an upscale neighborhood in central Athens, Greece. It is located on the southern slopes of Mount Lycabettus. Its name derives from the two metre column (located in Kolonaki Square) that defined the are ...

Kaisariani Kaisariani ( el, Καισαριανή) is a suburb and a municipality in the eastern part of the Athens agglomeration in Greece. Geography Kaisariani is located about southeast of Athens city centre, and of the Acropolis of Athens. The munic ...

and

Zografou Zografou ( el, Ζωγράφου) is a suburb of approximately 71,000 in the eastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. It was named after the Greek politician Ioannis Zografos. To the east of Zografou lies mount Hymettus. The area, being ...

. In the distant future, it will be extended further north to Ethniki Odos and to other important suburbs of

, like

Marousi Marousi or Maroussi ( el, Μαρούσι, also Αμαρούσιο ''Amarousio'') is a suburb in the northeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Marousi dates back to the era of the ancient Athenian Republic; its ancient name was Athmon ...

Development history

Plans for Line 4 of the Athens originated from the Metro Development Study for the period between 1996–2000, which proposed

branch line A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Industrial spur An industr ...

s for Lines 2 and 3. The Line 2 branch would have ran between and Alsos Veikou, with intermediate stations at

Exarcheia Exarcheia ( ) is a community in central Athens, Greece close to the historical building of the National Technical University of Athens. Exarcheia took its name from a 19th century businessman named Exarchos (Greek: Έξαρχος) who opened a larg ...

, Alexandras, Dikastiria, Kypseli, and Galatsi. The Line 3 branch would have ran between and , with intermediate stations at Faros, Filothei, Sidera, OAKA (Athens Olympic Sports Complex), and Paradissos (for

Suburban Railway Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are co ...

trains at ). On 1 December 2005,

Georgios Souflias Georgios Ath. Souflias ( el, Γεώργιος Σουφλιάς) (born July 7, 1941) is a Greek politician. He is a member of the New Democracy political party and was Minister for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works for the durat ...

, then the Minister of the Environment, Urban Planning and Public Works, announced that the two branches would combine to form the U-shaped Line 4. Souflias stated that the original branches, if built, would have caused "significant structural and operational weaknesses" for Lines 2 and 3. The original proposal for Line 4 is similar to what is currently proposed between Alsos Veikou and Marousi (without the Line 5 branch), but it did not include stations at Elikonos, Panepistimioupoli, and OTE.

Controversies

There has been significant opposition to a metro station at Exarcheia Square, in a neighbourhood known for

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics * Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe an ...

political and intellectual activism.

Future extensions

In March 2017, Attiko Metro (the infrastructure manager of the Athens Metro) split the implementation of Line 4 into five phases, of which Phase A is now under construction: proposals for Phases 3, 4 and 5 first appeared in the Souflias plan in April 2009. If Attiko Metro builds all sections as planned, the line will be about long, with 35 stations: However, the expected length of the completed project may change due to the ongoing review of the alignment of Phases 3, 4 and 5.

Phase 2

Phase 2 may consist of a line from Goudi to Line 1 at , with intermediate stations at (for Line 3), Faros, Filothei, Sidera,

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

, Paradissos (for

trains at ), and OTE.

Phase 3

Phase 3, , may consist of a branch from to the new Government Park near , with intermediate stations at

Pangrati Pangrati or Pagrati ( el, Παγκράτι) is a neighborhood in Central Athens, Greece, having an estimated population of 35,173 residents. Named after the ancient sanctuary of Hercules Pancrates ("All Powerful"), its frontage runs from Vasil ...

and

: Attiko Metro previously planned to build the terminus at Ano Ilioupoli. The extension may form part of Line 5, with trains initially terminating at . Attiko Metro also announced the possibility of a further extension from Dafni towards Kalamaki.

Phase 4

Phase 4 may consist of a line from Alsos Veikou to Petroupoli, with intermediate stations at Plateia Igias in

Nea Ionia Nea Ionia ( el, Νέα Ιωνία, meaning New Ionia) is a northern suburb of Athens, Greece, and a municipality of the Attica region. It was named after Ionia, the region in Anatolia from which many Greeks migrated in the 1920s as a part of the ...

, (for Line 1),

Nea Filadelfeia Nea Filadelfeia ( el, Νέα Φιλαδέλφεια, meaning ''New Philadelphia'') is a suburb of Athens, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Filadelfeia-Chalkidona, of which it is the seat and a munici ...

, (for Suburban Railway trains), and Ilion (for Line 2). However, the September 2022 Athens Metro Development Plan reroutes Line 4 via instead of Perissos, resulting in the relocation of the station for Nea Filadelfeia.

Phase 5

Phase 5 may consist of a line from to the A1 motorway (National Road), with intermediate stations at

Pefki Pefki ( el, Πεύκη, , meaning "pine", before 1959: Μαγκουφάνα - ''Magkoufana'', ) is a suburb in the northeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lykovr ...

and

Lykovrysi Lykovrysi ( el, Λυκόβρυση; formerly Γλυκόβρυση ''Glykovrysi'') is in North Athens, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lykovrysi-Pefki, of which it is a municipal unit/community. Geogr ...

. However, the September 2022 Athens Metro Development Plan omits the station at National Road.

Stations

The spelling of the station names on this table, in English and Greek, are according to Attiko Metro. All confirmed stations are underground, and have a layout of two tracks and two

side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a railway platform, platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or bus rapid transit, transitway. ...

s. }), at a different location. , , -id="419" , Ilissia , Ιλίσια , ,

, 2029 , , , -id="420" , Zografou , Ζωγράφου , ,

, 2029 , , , -id="421" , style="background-color:#FFFFE6", Goudi ^† , style="background-color:#FFFFE6", Γουδή , ,