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In terms of transport, Athens has some of the greatest variety in the world, including ferries, trolleybuses, trams and underground metro systems. Here we examine Athens' Trolleybus System and its Light Rail system, of which it has a lengthy system of both.
Trolleybuses in Athens began operation in 1970 under the ownership of the company ILPAP or Ηλεκτροκίνητα Λεωφορεία Περιοχής Αθηνών -- Πειραιώς Η.Λ.Π.Α.Π. (Electric Buses of Athens & Piraeus Area). The system comprises of 366 buses built by Neoplan and Van Hool and has an overall coverage of 390km. The buses featured in this video are 6000 series buses constructed by Neoplan. In 2011, ILPAP was merged with the Athens diesel bus company to form the OSY, a subsidy of the Athens Urban Transport Organisation (Organismos Astikon Syngoinonion Athinon - OASA).
Also featured in this video is the Athens Light Rail system. The original tram system in Athens began operation in 1908 to replace the horse drawn tram system that had been in operation since 1882. The trams ran until 1960 when they were replaced with diesel and electric buses. In 2001, in preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games, the Light Rail system was once again in the works to allow for easy connection from the City Centre to the SEF Stadium outside Piraeus. Work was completed in 2004 and the route opened the same year at a length of 21km and consisting of 35 Alsaldo-Breda trams.
Today we ride Tram Line 1 from Syntagma stop outside the Greek Parliament Building down through the narrow city streets to the junction at Mouson before heading west along the bay towards Piraeus, eventually arriving at the SEF Stadium.
Enjoy!