Athens Metro Line 3 Night Closures, 11–22 October 2026: Airport Trains Stop at Chalandri

Published 11 October 2026: The rail-replacement programme on Athens Metro Line 3 — the blue line to Athens International Airport — moves to a new section this month. On the nights of Sunday 11 to Thursday 15 October and Sunday 18 to Thursday 22 October 2026, the six stations between Ambelokipi and Chalandri (Panormou, Katehaki, Ethniki Amyna, Holargos, Nomismatokopio and Agia Paraskevi) close at 21:40, about two and a half hours before the normal end of service. From that moment the line runs as two separate pieces: Dimotiko Theatro to Ambelokipi, and Chalandri to the airport. There is no direct metro between the city centre and the airport after the last through trains at 21:06 (from Piraeus) and 21:10 (from the airport). A temporary bus, X20, links Ambelokipi with Chalandri across the closed stations.

📋 In this guide

What is happening on Line 3
What this means for your airport transfer
Skip the late-night changeover
Frequently asked questions
Related guides

Athens Metro Line 3 train, the airport line affected by night closures in October 2026

What changes	Detail
Nights affected	Sunday 11 to Thursday 15 October and Sunday 18 to Thursday 22 October 2026, from 21:40 until the end of service. Friday and Saturday nights run normally.
Section under works	Ambelokipi – Chalandri (rail replacement)
Stations closing early	Panormou, Katehaki, Ethniki Amyna, Holargos, Nomismatokopio and Agia Paraskevi — shutters down at 21:40
Line 3 split into	Dimotiko Theatro – Ambelokipi, and Chalandri – Doukissis Plakentias – Airport
Last through train to the airport	21:06 from Dimotiko Theatro (Piraeus), calling at all stations through the centre
Last through train from the airport	21:10 from Athens Airport towards the city centre and Piraeus
Airport trains after 21:40	Depart Chalandri at 22:20, 22:56 and 23:32 only
Trains from the airport after 21:40	Depart 21:46, 22:22, 22:58 and 23:34 — all terminate at Chalandri
Replacement bus	Temporary bus X20 Ambelokipi – Chalandri, calling at every closed station, Sunday to Thursday from 21:40 until the metro closes
City-centre stations	Syntagma, Monastiraki, Evangelismos and Megaro Mousikis stay open — this block does not touch the centre, unlike the September works

What is happening on Line 3

STASY, the metro operator, is replacing worn rails along Line 3 in stages. In September the works sat between Elaionas and Monastiraki and the line was cut at the city centre; that block ended on 8 October. The new block, announced by OASA on 10 October, covers the Ambelokipi – Chalandri stretch on the northern side of the city, which is the part of the line between the centre and the airport branch.

On each works night the last trains run as normal until 21:40 and then the six stations close. Trains keep shuttling between Dimotiko Theatro and Ambelokipi on the western side and between Chalandri and the airport on the eastern side. The last through train from Dimotiko Theatro to the airport leaves at 21:06, and the last from the airport towards the centre at 21:10. After 21:40 the airport is served only from Chalandri, with departures at 22:20, 22:56 and 23:32, and trains from the airport leave at 21:46, 22:22, 22:58 and 23:34, all terminating at Chalandri. The replacement bus X20 runs from a temporary stop on Panormou street at Ambelokipi, calls at every closed station and ends at Chalandri metro station, then back the same way, with the return journey dropping passengers on Alexandras avenue just before the Ambelokipi lights.

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Friday 16, Saturday 17, Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October are not affected, and the whole line runs normally during the day on every date. The works are scheduled to finish on the night of Thursday 22 October unless OASA announces a further block.

What this means for your airport transfer

If you are flying out on an early-morning departure and planning to take the last metro, this changes very little: the first trains of the day are unaffected. The problem is late-evening arrivals and night departures between Sunday and Thursday. A train that leaves the airport at 22:22 will leave you at Chalandri, where you need to find the X20 bus, ride it through six stops to Ambelokipi, and then take another train into the centre. With luggage, after a long flight, that is realistically an hour or more to Syntagma, and the bus does not continue to Piraeus.

Three alternatives work on works nights. The X95 express bus runs 24 hours between the airport and Syntagma for €5.50 and is not affected by the metro works, though it takes 60–90 minutes at night. A licensed airport taxi costs a flat €40 to central Athens by day and €55 between midnight and 05:00, door to door. A pre-booked transfer with a driver waiting in arrivals costs about the same as the night taxi fare and removes the queue. For Piraeus and the ferries, the X96 bus runs all night and the taxi flat fare to the port is the same as to the centre.

Source: Athens Transport, 10 October 2026, reporting the OASA/STASY announcement of the 11–15 and 18–22 October works programme.

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Skip the late-night changeover

If you land after 21:00 on a Sunday-to-Thursday night in October, the metro will cost you a bus ride and a second train. A pre-booked transfer puts a driver with a name sign in the arrivals hall at a fixed price, with the driver tracking your flight if it runs late.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Athens airport metro closed in October 2026?

No. Line 3 runs to the airport all day. Only on the nights of 11–15 and 18–22 October, from 21:40, is the line cut between Ambelokipi and Chalandri, so there is no direct train between the city centre and the airport after about 21:10. Trains still run from Chalandri to the airport until 23:32 and from the airport to Chalandri until 23:34.

Which Athens metro stations close early during the October works?

Panormou, Katehaki, Ethniki Amyna, Holargos, Nomismatokopio and Agia Paraskevi close at 21:40 on works nights. Syntagma, Monastiraki, Evangelismos, Megaro Mousikis, Ambelokipi, Chalandri, Doukissis Plakentias and the airport station all stay open.

How do I get from Athens airport to the city centre late at night during the works?

Take the metro to Chalandri, change to the temporary X20 bus to Ambelokipi, then the metro again to Syntagma or Monastiraki — allow at least an hour. Or take the 24-hour X95 bus to Syntagma for €5.50, a taxi at the flat fare of €40 by day or €55 from midnight to 05:00, or a pre-booked transfer.

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