An epoch-making moment for Greek public transport: Greece’s first automatic metro, run by Atm and Egis, was inaugurated yesterday in the city of Thessaloniki.
The Greek Prime Minister Mr Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Mr Chrístos Staikouras, the deputy Minister of Infrastructure Mr Nikolaos Tachiaos, as well as by ATM President Mrs Gioia Ghezzi and CEO Arrigo Giana, and Egis’ CEO Mr Laurent Germain attended the ceremony.
The company THEMA, formed by Atm and Egis (51% and 49% respectively), is responsible for the management of the new driverless line. The corporate entity won on June 2023 a contract lasting 11 years for a total economic value of EUR 250 million, hence establishing itself as a player with great competitive capacity in the international arena.
Metro characterictics
The line connects the Western part of Thessaloniki to the Eastern in 18 minutes. With a length of 10 km and 13 stations, the metro is bound to become the main hub for inner city journeys, changing Thessaloniki’s mobility by making it greener: 313,000 daily passengers are expected, with a 212 CO2 tons reduction due to the circulation of 57,000 fewer cars.
It’s also a culturally relevant infrastructure: Venizelou station hosts the world’s biggest open museum within a metro station, with archaeological findings dating back to Roman times.
At this stage, 18 trains are circulating with a headway of about a 3 minutes. The automatic metro is fully accessible and constantly monitored by video cameras overseen by the control room, that is operational all day.
In 2025 a five-station line extension to Kalamaria is expected to connect 25 Martiou station to Mikra terminus, in the south of Thessaloniki. Upon completion, trains in service will be 33 with a 90s headway.
