Transport in Athens

Many Athenians woke up to a blanket of snow on Monday morning, as the cold front "Medea" that swept into Greece on Saturday affected most parts of the country and particularly higher altitudes.

In the capital, snowfall came early in the morning and blanketed northern suburbs like Kifissia, Ekali and Melissia, while also giving a dusting to the downtown area.

The Attica Tram Electricians Association on Tuesday announced a four-hour work stoppage from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday "since it does not see any substantial solution to the problems."

In a statement, the association bemoaned a series of shortcomings, including the operation of the tram telematics system, which has remained "problematic" for the last 22 months.

It is a "matter of time" to identify and arrest the two passengers who viciously attacked a metro station manager on Wednesday after he asked them to put on their mask, police sources said on Thursday.

According to the sources, their faces have been recorded clearly in the metro's CCTV cameras and officers are now focusing their investigation in the area of West Attica.

Trams are scheduled to start running again on the section of track connecting the southern Athens coastal districts of Palaio Faliro and Neo Faliro on Monday after it was temporarily closed due to construction work for the renovation of the Faliro Bay area in March 2020.

A station manager of the Athens metro was beaten up by two men who refused to wear their mask on the train, the public company responsible for managing the metro, tram and electric railway, Urban Rail Transport (STASY), said on Wednesday.

Public transport in Athens will move at a slower pace on Thursday night due to the New Year's Eve holiday.

Five metro and ISAP electric railway stations in central Athens have been ordered to close from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday in a bid to stem public movement and avert crowds from gathering at public squares in the downtown area for Christmas, amid fears of a spike in coronavirus transmission.

The auction of the Attiki Odos project for the extension of Kymis Avenue in northern Athens is expected in the first half of 2021, in the hope that it will ease the pressure on Kifissou Avenue and ensure access to the Athens-Lamia National Highway.

The suburbs between Neo Faliro and Alimos on Athens' southern coast are expected to get their tram service back by the end of January.

Athens commuters will be without metro and ISAP electric railway services on Thursday, as workers at the fixed-track transport operator STASY joined a 24-hour strike announced by Greece's umbrella civil servants' union ADEDY, demanding protective measures for employees and mass hirings in the health sector.