A two-month pilot scheme that will see trains on the metro system and the Kifissia-Piraeus electric railway run until late on weekends will start Friday.

The scheme means trains will run until 2 o’clock on Saturday and Sunday mornings in a bid to offer Athenians an alternative to getting to and from their nighttime entertainment.

The Transport Ministry and the City of Athens have been in favor of the move as they see it as an obvious way to increase passenger numbers on lines 2 and 3 of the metro, which first opened to commuters seven years ago.

AMEL, the firm that operates the Athens Metro, estimates that the longer timetable will cost the company an extra 300,000 euros a month. Two-thirds of this cost will be for staff overtime.