The Thessaloniki metro enters the final stretch with preparations running non-stop to enter the tracks in 2024, the most long-suffering public project in Greece in the 21st century with its cost reaching, together with the extension of Kalamaria, 2 billion euros .
The project accelerated, covering the lost ground, after the acquisition of AKTOR by INTRAKAT (CEO Alexandros Exarchou) with the company ensuring the payment of the dues to the subcontractors to return to
The main metro line will welcome passengers in November this year, if we at least take into account the repeated assurances of the authorities. Of course, the people of Thessaloniki, after so many years of unfulfilled promises with operating dates that were constantly revised, keep a small basket. This time, however, it seems that we are one breath away before the first ticket is cut.
From New Railway Station to New Switzerland, Thessaloniki will have a 9.6km long, 13-station metro, which will alleviate to some degree (there are no magic solutions) the city’s open traffic wound.
At the moment, the construction work is almost complete (99% progress rate) with the only outstanding being the Venizelos station which will be delivered in September.
Over 300,000 passengers
When the extension to Kalamaria, with an additional length of 4.8 km and 5 stations, comes into operation in 2025, the metro will have a total length of approximately 14.5 km, 18 stations, it will serve around 315,000 passengers daily, limiting car traffic by 60,000 and leading to a reduction of CO2 by 212 tons respectively per day.
Stations
The stations of the main project of the Thessaloniki metro are: New Railway Station, Demokratia Square, Venizelou, Agia Sophia, Fountain, University, Papafi, Euclid, Fleming, Analipsi, 25th of March, Voulgari, New Switzerland.
The stations of the extension to Kalamaria (the metro is expected to arrive there in the second half of 2025), are: Prefecture, Kalamaria, Aretsou, Nea Krini, Mikra. But to make sure everything works as it should when the historic day arrives when the metro whistles, preparations are on fire with tests and safety checks hitting the gas.
The construction contractor (Aktor and Hitachi) checks and… thoroughly tests the infrastructure, the operating systems and the rolling stock. These tests are carried out under the umbrella of Elliniko Metro S.A., which thoroughly checks the quality of the construction and the functionality of the infrastructure, having close to it executives of the Operation and Maintenance contractor, i.e. THIEMA S.A. (a joint venture of the Italian ATM that has taken over the Copenhagen metro and the French EGIS), which “learn” the metro systems.
Without a driver but with an escort à la Copenhagen
It is worth noting that the stations of Thessaloniki are different from those of Athens, while the metro of the co-capital will not have a driver but, at least for the first time, some security attendants who will ensure that everything runs smoothly, while identifying possible malfunctions. They can also operate the train manually if it stops for some reason.
Lines every 2.5 minutes
Escorts are also available in the Copenhagen metro, which is of the same logic as the Thessaloniki metro. At the start of the main line, the frequency of the routes, according to the operating company of the metro, THEMA, will be every 2.5 minutes and a few months later, when the operation of the extension to Kalamaria also starts, it will be reduced to 1, 5 minutes.
The Thessaloniki metro will have 18 ultra-automatic trains of the latest technology, fully air-conditioned.
Ticket
The ticket will have a cost of 90 euro cents and a duration of 70 minutes. At a later time, the “marriage” with the OASTH systems will be done so that passengers can use the metro and bus with one ticket (and a small price increase).
At the two ends of the baseline, two main transport hubs will operate. At the western end, the New Railway Station, this has been achieved for years because of the train. At the eastern end, in New Switzerland, the contract for the creation of a corresponding hub was recently signed by the scheme that builds the AKTOR-WEBUILD-HITACHI line. This new hub will offer metro transfer services with buses, taxis, maybe in the future also KTEL.
The contract provides for the construction of the unopened section of Michail Psellou Street, approximately 500 m long, the remodeling of the junctions on both sides of it with the rest of the road network and the creation of a modern Transfer Station for city buses, taxis and private cars.
The project has a budget of 10.47 million euros and is expected to be completed almost simultaneously with the operation of the Thessaloniki metro, in November. Of course, for a while there will be no parking for cars at the New Switzerland station.
The engines are whirring
In the THEME, staffing is progressing at this time, while the training, theory and practice of the company’s staff is already underway. The staff of the newly formed company should be able to carry out the main line transport work as well as the daily maintenance work by November. This milestone may be the most invisible but it is perhaps the most critical. The construction is completed (and the bet will be transferred to the orderly daily operation of the Thessaloniki metro.
the project, since this was also the reason why the work had gone off schedule.
SOURCE: ot.gr
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