Transport staff urge summer schedule change
The long intervals between metro and electric railway trains in Athens appears to be irking public transport staff as well as visitors to the Greek capital.
Since the beginning of July, the frequency of trains, as well as trams and buses, has been reduced due to the implementation of the summer timetable.
Schedules will return to normal at the beginning of September.
On the Kifissia-Piraeus electric railway (ISAP), trains run every 7.5 to 12.5 minutes, depending on the day as well as time of day. On the metro, the frequency of trains ranges from 5 to 15 minutes.
However, there has been no change in the regularity of trains traveling to and from Athens International Airport as they continue to depart every half an hour.
The union representing workers at STASY, the operator of the capital’s fixed-track public transport system, expressed its concern Monday about the summer timetable, which was also implemented in 2016 and 2015.
The unionists said that the trains are too infrequent. “The result is that there are overcrowded platforms at central stations in heat wave conditions and passengers do not have enough room to board carriages,” the union said in a statement. “It is not hard to imagine that this frustration and rage is deeply felt and staff end up paying the price as they are on the receiving end.”
The union called on managers to heed employees’ advice and make changes to the timetable.
