Transport in Greece

Train of ISAP, the oldest urban rapid transit system of Athens metropolitan area

Transport in Greece has undergone significant changes in the past two decades, vastly modernizing the country's infrastructure. Although ferry transport between islands remains the prominent method of transport between the nation's islands, improvements to the road infrastructure, rail, urban transport, and airports have all led to a vast improvement in transportation. These upgrades have played a key role in supporting Greece's economy, which in the past decade has come to rely heavily on the construction industry.

Rail transport

Taxis in front of the New Railway Station, Thessaloniki

Railways

• total: 2,571 km (764 km are (or will be) electrified)
• standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge
• narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge
• dual gauge: 23 km combined 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (three rail system) (2004)

The state owned company that owns and maintains Greece's railway network is called OSE, while TrainOSE is the company responsible for operating all passenger and freight trains.

Metro

Athens Metro

Cities with a rapid transit railway network:

• Athens - Athens Metro (3 lines)
• Thessaloniki - Thessaloniki Metro (1 & 2 lines) (under construction)

Commuter Rail

Proastiakos commuter rail

Cities with a commuter rail network (Proastiakos):

• Athens (3 lines - officially 2 lines, since Athens-Chalkida line is not currently considered as a Proastiakos commuter rail line.)
• Thessaloniki (2 lines)
• Patras (1 line)

Tram

Athens Tram

• Athens Tram
• List of town tramway systems in Greece

Road transport

Highways

A2 (Egnatia Odos) motorway

Moreas Motorway.

Attiki Odos, near the Athens International Airport

• As of 2010, Greece has 1600 km of motorways, while by 2017 it is estimated it will have a total of 2800 km.

Roads:

• total: 117,000 km
• paved: 107,406 km
• unpaved: 9,594 km (1996 est.)
• over 2500 underground tunnels (est.)

Bus transport

Urban bus transport

Preserved vintage trolleybus of ILPAP, Piraeus-Kastella line

• ETHEL organizes mass bus transit in Athens.
• ILPAP organizes mass trolleybus transit in Athens.
• OASTH organizes mass bus transit in Thessaloniki.
• Companies named Astiko KTEL provide mass bus transit in many of the other cities of Greece.

Intercity and regional bus transport

KTEL is the common name for every company which is responsible for intercity and regional bus transit. Most of the regional units, though, have their own regional network of buses, and have their regional unit names labeled on KTEL vehicles that operate there. (e.g. KTEL Argolidas).

Water transport

Waterways

View of the port of Patras

The 80 km system consists of three coastal canals including the Corinth Canal (6 km) and three unconnected rivers. The Corinth Canal crosses the Isthmus of Corinth, connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf; and shortens the sea voyage from the Adriatic to Piraeus by 325 km.

Ports and harbours

• Alexandria
• Elefsina
• Ermoupolis
• Irakleio, Crete
• Kavala
• Kerkyra
• Chalkis
• Igoumenitsa
• Lavrio
• Patras
• Port of Piraeus
• Port of Thessaloniki
• Volos
• Mytilene
• Rhodes (city)

Merchant Marine

• total: 3338 ships (with a volume of 1,000 gross register tons (GRT) or over) totaling 109,377,819 GRT/182,540,868 tonnes deadweight (DWT)
• ships by type (1999 est.)

• bulk carrier: 273
• cargo ship: 60
• chemical tanker: 22
• combination bulk: 5
• combination ore/oil: 8
• container ship: 43
• Liquified Gas Carrier: 5
• multi-functional large load carrier: 1
• passenger ship: 12
• passenger/cargo: 2
• petroleum tanker: 245
• refrigerated cargo: 3
• roll-on/roll-off ship: 19
• short-sea passenger: 75
• specialized tanker: 4
• vehicle carrier: 2

Airports

Thessaloniki International Airport

• total: 82 (2005)
• With paved runways: 67

• over 3,047 m: 5
• 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16
• 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19
• 914 to 1,523 m: 17

under 914 m: 10 (2005)

• With unpaved runways: 15

• 914 to 1,523 m: 3
• under 914 m: 12 (2005)

• heliports: 8 (2005)

Pipelines

• crude oil: 26 km
• petroleum products: 547 km

Major Construction Projects

Completed Projects

Motorways

• Egnatia Odos
• Attiki Odos
• Moreas Motorway
• Rio–Antirrio bridge

Railways

• Piraeus–Platy railway
• Athens Airport–Kiato railway
• Thessaloniki–Svilengrad railway
• Athens Metro

• Line 1 (Athens Metro)
• Line 2 (Athens Metro)
• Line 3 (Athens Metro)

• Athens Tram

Airports

• Athens International Airport

Projects under construction

Motorways

• Motorway 1
• Ionia Odos
• Olympia Odos
• Central Greece Motorway
• North Road Axis of Crete
• Branches of Egnatia Odos

• Motorway 21
• Motorway 25
• Motorway 27
• Motorway 29

• Motorway 71

Railways

• electrification and building double track on sections of Piraeus–Platy railway
• Line 3 (Athens Metro) extension to Piraeus
• Thessaloniki Metro
• Athens Tram extension to Piraeus

Future projects

Motorways

• Larisa-Kozane Motorway

Railways

• Kiato-Patras standard gauge railway
• Line 4 (Athens Metro)
• Igoumenitsa-Ioannina-Kalampaka Railway line
• Kalampaka-Kastoria Railway line
• Florina-Pogradec Railway line
• Kalampaka-Kozani-Thessaloniki-Kavala-Toxotes Railway line
• Ioannina-Rio Railway line
• Thessaloniki-Chalkidiki Railway line
• Thessaloniki-Giannitsa-Skydra Railway line
• Chania-Rethymnon-Herakleion Railway line
• Thessaloniki Tram
• Patras Tram
• Larisa Tram
• Ioannina Tram
• Volos Tram

Airports

• New Heraclion Airport

See also

• Rapid transit in Greece
• Greek shipping

References

•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.

External links

• www.Greek-Motorway.Net
• The Hellenic Merchant Maritime Sector: A Historical and Business Overview (Balkanalysis.com)