Pioneering driverless transportation in an historic Mediterranean city
Greece's vibrant second city and a major university hub, Thessaloniki faced unique challenges in modernizing its public transportation infrastructure. As Pierre-Luc Papin, Director of Operation & Maintenance Rail at Egis, explains: "This is a completely new project that started a long time ago —around 2004. It might be one of the longest-running projects ever”.
The €240 million contract faced unique operational hurdles. Beyond archaeological discoveries and financial delays, establishing Greece's first automated metro required extensive public awareness campaigns to address community concerns surrounding the cutting-edge driverless technology underpinning the vision. Building local expertise was crucial — the THEMA S.A. consortium recruited and trained 300 local staff within a single year, creating an entirely new skilled workforce tasked with running and overseeing automated metro operations.
Historical Preservation
Extensive archaeological discoveries made during the construction process required careful preservation, with the teams coordinating with Greece's Ministry of Antiquities to safeguard the discoveries and incorporate the historical artifacts within modern station designs, transforming platforms into showcases for local history and heritage.
Economic Challenges
Greece’s financial crisis had a significant impact on the project’s timeline, with a need for sustainable funding mechanisms emerging and complex stakeholder management required to navigate an extended period of financial uncertainty.
Technical Innovation
In the drive to implement Greece's very first GOA4 automated system, 24/7 automated operations and state-of-the-art passenger information systems were ushered in and integrated with existing urban infrastructure on the local landscape.
Workforce Development
An entirely new and highly skilled workforce was brought to life via an intensive recruitment drive and in-depth training programs for automated system operation to plug gaps in the local workforce. Parallel to this, public confidence in the new technology was deepened through a series of awareness-raising campaigns.
