For the start of its operation subway in Thessalonikibut also the developments in the Athens metro with the line extensions, the managing director of “Hellenic Metro .E.” spoke to ERTNews. Nikos Kouretas.

As he characteristically stated: “the city of Thessaloniki will have a new means of public transport with a fixed track, the metro. An efficient means since it transports more people than cars and buses in shorter distances, at high speed, with an average hourly speed of 40 kilometers per hour and a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour.

A reliable means because you know when it will arrive and when it will arrive reliably at your destination.

A safe medium because it has the world’s most sophisticated security systems in its application.

An environmentally friendly vehicle, let’s not forget that it runs on electricity, 53,000 fewer cars will drive in the city, 137,000 tons of carbon dioxide less per year in the city of Thessaloniki.”

Something important to emphasize is that the Thessaloniki metro will have the only station in the world that will be underground archaeological sitethe Venizelos station. Indeed on November 30 citizens will see something that will make them proud of the museum. The antiquities that had been moved have been re-placed in exactly the same place.”

The cost of the ticket

As stated by the managing director of “Hellenic Metro SA”: “The tariff policy as well as the fee policy will be announced by the minister next Tuesday in Thessaloniki. It will be around €1, but more details will be announced by the minister as well as the new bus routes which will converge due to interoperability with the metro.

I would like to inform you that the general transportation study of the urban complex of Thessaloniki was recently completed and based on its results, for the first time and for the next 20 years, private and public public transportation will be organized correctly and functionally.

To be able to function complementary to each other. So, as I told you, on Tuesday, some additional routes will be announced that will be able to help some specific areas of the city in synergy with the metro.

Metro extensions have already been announced. The general transport study has shown that the first extension will be carried out in the west of the city and will be followed by the extension to the airport as well as the rest of the extensions”.

The differences with the Athens metro

Regarding this matter, Mr. Kouretas stated that: “In principle, the Thessaloniki metro will have two separate tunnels, it will not be like in Athens where we have a two-sided tunnel that goes from one side to the other. It will be driverless.

It will have a different signaling system. It will be a much more modern metro than the Athens metro, equivalent to the Thessaloniki Metro will be line 4, which we are implementing and building.

On line 4 we are progressing normally, we are going according to the schedule, there will definitely be small delays and why will there be? Because it is a project which is an underground project. We come across issues that we have to deal with at that time. However, so far we are absorbing these delays, as you can see. Two subways have already started and one has reached about two kilometers from Katehaki.

The other has started his journey from Veikou to meet. Galatsiou has started, at the moment it is at the beginning, it is still in the first 100 meters, but it is going very fast.

They will meet together at Evangelismos, at Frear Evangelismos, in the park on Naiadon Street, opposite Rizari. And all the stations, as the citizens of the city see, have construction work.”

The extensions of the lines in Athens

Mr. Kouretas stated that: “Line 2 will have an extension to Ilion. Line 4 on the one hand, i.e. from Goudi, will be extended towards the Psychiko Lighthouse and will go north up Kifissias Avenue and end further north, in Kifissia.

On the other side, it will end up in Petroupoli, passing through Galatsi, it will end up in Petroupoli, passing through the AEK stadium.