A major cycling corridor intended to link northern Athens suburbs with the city center and the Faliron Bay waterfront remains stalled after nearly two decades of planning delays, with construction of its northern section now unlikely to be completed before late 2028.
The project, known as the Northern Cycling Axis, forms the missing link of the broader Kifissia–Faliron Bay bicycle route. While the southern section connecting Gazi and Faliron Bay entered service at the end of 2015, the northern stretch between Gazi and Kifissia has yet to break ground, leaving the route effectively divided in two.
Regional authorities now expect the project to be tendered during 2026, missing an earlier European Union funding timetable that had envisaged construction beginning in January this year. Assuming no further setbacks, completion is now expected toward the end of 2028.
The 17.8-kilometer (11-mile) route will pass through five municipalities — Kifissia, Marousi, Iraklio, Nea Ionia and Athens — linking densely populated neighborhoods with the capital’s commercial center. It is designed to encourage commuters to switch from private vehicles to bicycles by providing a continuous route through major urban districts including Kypseli and Patissia.
The corridor has been designated one of four projects of strategic importance under the Attica regional program of the EU-funded 2021-2027 National Strategic Reference Framework (ESPA).
According to planning documents, approximately 8.5 kilometers of the route will run alongside the Athens-Piraeus electric railway line, 5.2 kilometers along existing city streets and 3.5 kilometers through pedestrianized areas.
The cycleway will connect with numerous stations on Athens’ urban rail network, including Monastiraki, Omonia, Victoria, Perissos, Pefkakia, Nea Ionia, Iraklio, Eirini, Marousi, KAT and Kifissia, allowing cyclists to combine bicycle travel with metro and suburban rail services.
The route will also become the first dedicated bicycle corridor to pass directly through the heart of the Greek capital, using central streets such as Athinas, Ermou and 3rd September Street. Planners envision it as a backbone network onto which local municipal cycling routes can be connected, extending bicycle access across a wider portion of the Athens metropolitan area.
Athens has in recent years intensified efforts to promote sustainable urban mobility amid growing traffic congestion, air-quality concerns and climate-related challenges. Regional and municipal authorities have expanded cycling infrastructure, pedestrianization projects and public transport upgrades, although several flagship bicycle projects have faced lengthy delays due to funding, permitting and coordination issues. The completion of the northern section would create the first continuous cycling corridor linking northern suburbs with central Athens and the Saronic Gulf waterfront, a goal urban planners have pursued for more than 17 years.
