Next stop Lavrion for railway
A number of measures to entice the residents of the fast-growing neighborhoods east of Athens onto public transport were unveiled yesterday by Transport Minister Michalis Liapis, who said that the Proastiakos suburban railway will reach the port of Lavrion within the next six years. Liapis said that prices of tickets for the suburban railway and for people in eastern Attica using the metro will be reduced from the start of next year. The suburban railway’s operating hours will also be extended so trains will run between 5 a.m. and midnight. The minister said a 33-kilometer extension will be constructed for the Proastiakos by 2012, which will give residents in these rapidly expanding areas quicker access to central Athens while also making the port of Lavrion more accessible to holidaymakers. Several stations on the metro line to Athens International Airport were recently converted so that trains can stop there as demand increases for access to public transport from those moving out of Athens into the eastern suburbs.
