With the two envelope deliveryn with the outstanding items by sector (Transport – Infrastructure), the handover ceremony was held at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport by the outgoing Minister of State responsible for Transport Giorgos Gerapetritis and the Deputy Ministers of Transport Michalis Papadopoulos and Infrastructure Giorgos Karagiannis to the acting Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Ioannis Golias.

“It is a great honor to welcome the professor and former rector of the National Technical University of Athens, Yiannis Golias, to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has suffered a lot lately because it was at the center of public dialogue and public interest, for reasons that were not always pleasant. However, I should point out that important actions have been taken in the ministry for the benefit of the citizens” said Mr. Gerapetritis.

In particular, in the issues related to infrastructure, it was mentioned:

  • In the Thessaloniki Metro,
  • At the start of work on Line 4 of the Athens Metro
  • In the development of the tender for the extension of Line 2 to Ilion and to BOAK, which is already being implemented

He also made reference to the major projects that are underway such as: The Flyover, the Chalkida bypass, Brallos – Amfissa, land improvements, eight PPP tenders for major infrastructure projects, buildings, roads, hydraulics as well as major railway upgrades.

As far as transport is concerned, the digitization of driver’s license issuance is very important, where approximately 500,000 temporary licenses have already been issued, while at least 1.5 million citizens have their license in their digital wallet. Also, European policy for reducing the environmental footprint has been fully adopted by the ministry, with hydrogen propulsion, sustainable urban mobility, in the design of the new KOK, and the promotion of electric mobility which is a national goal.

Gerapetritis

Finally, G. Gerapetritis referred to the railway sector, and noted that the investigations are progressing concerning the tragic accident of Tempe and the conclusion of the Special Committee of Experts has already been forwarded to the Larisa Appeals Prosecutor’s Office.

“Works to secure the rail network are ongoing and we estimate that the northern section will be ready by the end of June and the southern section by the end of September, so from October to be fully upgraded on the main railway axis the new remote control and signaling system”, he emphasized, and wished the new minister good success saying “I hope the transport and infrastructure of the country will be upgraded to the level that Greece deserves”.

For his part, the new Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Yiannis Golias, stated that “I feel a great honor that the Greek state entrusted me with this mission, but also a thrill, because I am reaching the highest position of this ministry, which I served for decades from all sides. Therefore, I believe that this will help me to deal with any problems that arise in the right way.” G. Golias also emphasized that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is dealing with many issues, pointing out that all of them are of great importance for the strategic development of the country and for the quality of the citizen’s daily life. The new Minister of Infrastructure and Transport added that “he will dedicate himself with all his strength to his new role, with the required determination and supra-partisanship in any decisions that need to be made in order to deal with current issues”.