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Hardships for train travelers

11 January 2010 / 17:01:16  GRReporter
2850 reads

Kremena Koutsoukou

During the weekend and today 6 key electric train stations remained closed. Repairs provoked inconvenience for all citizens who scattered their discontent over the few employees working around the stations. 

Moshato, Kalithea, Neradziotisa, Maroussi, KAT and Kifisia were closed once again due to the repairs of the train lines. "Ano Patisia" was working only going towards Kifisia. 

Early in the morning around station Marousi citizens were revolting because of the disorder, also trying to figure out how to get to their jobs. At the entrance of the station someone had put up a note not easily understandable content, which was supposed to direct people towards alternative routes. After clarification from the employee of the company it became clear that the first operating train station - "Irini" can be reached by bus X5 provided especially during the repair days or by the inner neighborhood bus number 20. Since the X5 gets on Boulevard Kifisias, the majority of people preferred to wait for the inner neighborhood bus. The timetable said that it should arrive every 20-25 minutes. Traveling with this bus is 15 minutes and then another 5 minutes of walking will take you to “Irini”. So - the distance, which under normal circumstances, the train took for a maximum of 10 minutes today it took more than half an hour. "It is unacceptable to travel so much. Buses are slow, there is traffic,” frustrated are passengers. "So far repairs were done mainly on weekends.”

A young man tells how his suffers with moving around, for months. He lives in Ano Patisia and works in Maroussi. Until recently, both train stops were working only in one direction. Repairs forced him to get off to the previous or next stop, in order to reach his destination. This expanded his travel time with 40 minutes every day. "Organization is bad," he says. "When you get off at the next stop, because yours is closed for repairs, the train that goes in the opposite direction and the one you should get on, does not wait for you. So the wait increases by another 5-10 minutes.”

Repairs on the lines started at the beginning of last year. Completion of the modernization of the electric train in the capital was planned for February. It is expected that the repairs will continue until June. A complete change of the basis on which trains move, is being changed. After updating it the train will be like the subway, coaches will be able to develop speed of over 110 km/h and will move much quieter. 

Until then we must recharge our patience, as some stops will continue to be closed periodically. For more information regarding the electric train you can call 185.

Tags: Traffic Electrin train in Athens train repairs Subway metro
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