Eight months after Athens introduced round-the-clock Saturday services on its Metro network, transport authorities are now looking to extend the measure to the capital’s oldest urban rail line. The plan concerns Line 1, the historic green line linking Piraeus to northern Athens, known locally as “Ilektrikos.”
According to Deputy Transport Minister Konstantinos Kyranakis, 24-hour Saturday operations on the line are expected to begin in 2027, once a long-running train refurbishment program is completed.
The announcement was made during a visit to the STASY depot in Sepolia, where officials unveiled the first upgraded Line 1 train.
For years, the line’s aging rolling stock has become synonymous with breakdowns, stifling summer heat and mounting maintenance difficulties. Many of the trains still in operation date back to the early 1980s, and officials say sourcing replacement parts has become increasingly difficult. Now, authorities are attempting something closer to a rebuild than a simple refurbishment.
A Train From the 1980s, Rebuilt for 2026
The overhaul covers 14 trains introduced between 1983 and 1985. In practice, little beyond the metal shell remains untouched.
The Line 1 trains are receiving new motors, electrical and pneumatic systems, upgraded traction technology and entirely redesigned interiors. Air conditioning — long absent from many Line 1 carriages — is being added alongside LED lighting, new seating, passenger information screens and CCTV systems. Accessibility improvements for passengers with disabilities and wheelchair users are also part of the upgrade.
Officials described the project as giving the trains a new technological “heart,” effectively bringing them “from 1983 to 2026.” Transport authorities say the reconstruction is expected to extend the lifespan of the trains by at least another 25 years while improving the reliability and frequency of services on one of the busiest corridors in the city.
First Refurbished Train to Enter Service in July
The first fully upgraded train is expected to enter service in July. Three additional trains are due to join the network by the end of 2026, while all 14 refurbished trains are scheduled to be operational by May 2027, the same year authorities hope to launch overnight Saturday services on the line.
At the same time, Athens transport officials are also moving ahead with a separate modernization program for the capital’s Series I Metro trains, which have been operating since 2000. That project includes replacing outdated systems, adding air conditioning in passenger areas, installing CCTV and new passenger information systems, and introducing diagnostic technologies aimed at improving reliability across the network.
The first phase concerns 12 trains and carries a budget of roughly €109 million, with works expected to last 36 months.
Notably, officials said these are currently the only trains in the Athens Metro system that still do not have air conditioning for passengers — a longstanding frustration during Athens’ increasingly punishing summers.
