Athens Mass Transit System

Logo of OASA S.A.

The Athens Mass Transit System (or, more accurately, Mass transit system of Attica) is the largest mass transit system of Greece. The system serves all areas in Athens Metropolitan Area and other parts of Attica Region.

Companies

As of July 2011, the Athens Mass Transit System consists of:

• OSY S.A. (Greek: ΟΣΥ Α.Ε.)
  • A bus network, formerly operated by ETHEL (Etaireia Thermikon Leoforeion/Thermal Bus Company)
  • An electric trolleybus network, formerly operated by ILPAP (Ilektrokinita Leoforeia Periohis Athinon–Peiraios/Electric Buses of Athens–Piraeus)
• STASY S.A. (Greek: ΣΤΑΣΥ Α.Ε.)
  • The Athens Tram system, formerly operated by Tram S.A. which was a subsidiary of Attiko Metro S.A.
  • The Piraeus-Kifissia urban railway (ISAP), formerly owned and operated by Athens-Piraeus Electric Railways. It is occasinally advertised as Athens Metro Line 1.
  • The Athens Metro system, consisting of Metro Line 2 and Metro Line 3, formerly owned by Attiko Metro S.A. and operated by subsidiary AMEL (Attiko Metro Etaireia Leitourgias, Attiko Metro Operations Company)
• A suburban rail system using Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE) lines, operated by TrainOSE S.A. under the name Proastiakos. The section between Piraeus, Magoula and Koropi is regarded as the urban part.
• A part of the OSE main line (between Piraeus and Aghios Stefanos) operated by TrainOSE S.A.

OSY and STASY (which absorbed the former companies ISAP, ILPAP, ETHEL, Tram, AMEL) as well as TrainOSE (for its Proastiakos department) are coordinated by Athens Urban Transport Organisation (Organismos Astikon Syngoinonion Athinon - OASA, Greek: Οργανισμός Αστικών Συγκοινωνιών Αθηνών - Ο.Α.Σ.Α.), a public company.^[1] ISAP, ETHEL and ILPAP were wholly owned by OASA S.A.

AMEL and Tram S.A. until June 2011 were subsidiaries of Attiko Metro S.A. (Greek: Αττικό Μετρό Α.Ε.), a company that is currently wholly owned by the Greek government.^[2][3]

TrainOSE S.A., which absorbed the former Proastiakos S.A. in 2007, became independent of the OSE group in 2008 and is now a separate public company.

In January 2011 the Greek government proposed a reorganization of the system, which involves reduction of the separate companies to just two, one for tram and rapid transit and one for conventional and trolley buses.^[4]

In March 2011, the Greek Government passed Law 3920^[5] to allow Athens Metro Operations Company (AMEL) to absorb Athens-Piraeus Electric Railways and Athens Tram. The resulting company "STASY S.A." (Greek: ΣΤΑΣΥ Α.Ε.) shall be a subsidiary of OASA S.A. Also ETHEL S.A. and ILPAP S.A. were merged in "OSY S.A." (Greek: ΟΣΥ Α.Ε.), another OASA subsidiary.

The merger was officially announced on June 10, 2011. ^[6] [7] While merger at the top management level took place immediately, integration of the former companies at operations and support level proceeds slowly.

Picture gallery

• 

  The Athens tram connects the city centre with the coast

• 

  Athens' suburban railway

• 

  A tram in Athens

• 

  Express bus between the city and the airport

• 

  A trolleybus in the city centre

See also

• Athens Larissa Station
• Piraeus station

References

External links

OASA companies established in 2011

• O.A.S.A. - Athens Urban Transport Organisation
• STASY S.A.
• OSY S.A. (redirects to E.THE.L. web site)

Former companies

• E.THE.L. - Motor buses
• I.L.P.A.P. - Trolleybuses of Athens - Piraeus Area
• I.S.A.P. - Electric Railways of Athens - Piraeus S.A.
• A.M.E.L - Attiko Metro Operation Company S.A.
• Tram S.A.

Non-OASA companies

• TrainOSE suburban services
• O.S.E. - Hellenic Railways Organisation S.A.
• Hellenic Ministry of Transportation and Communications