“Our commitment remains intact. Thessaloniki will have the metro in operation in the second half of 2024”, emphasized the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Staikouras, visiting the metro station “Agia Sofia” at noon, as part of the two-day “Open House Thessaloniki” festival.

The minister, accompanied by the deputy minister in charge of infrastructure issues, Nikos Tahiao, the secretary of K.O. of ND, Stavros Kalafati and the managing director and vice president of “Hellenic Metro SA”, Nikos Koureta, were given a tour of the station premises and saw the progress of the works. He talked to dozens of citizens of all ages who wanted to visit the site despite the rain that was falling in the city, assured them that the project is progressing, answered all their questions and queries, while also greeting the “Open House” volunteers.

“We had the opportunity as the political leadership of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to meet in the metro. Not only to see the progress of the works, but to discuss with our compatriots in Thessaloniki, who are understandably anxious to see the completion of an iconic project for the city“, Mr. Staikouras said in his initial statements.

As the minister underlined, the citizens through today’s action also get a picture of the progress of the project and find that “we are very close to completing our goal. This means that the reasonable suspicion that exists in Thessaloniki regarding the timely implementation of the projects is also limited. As political leadership, we are committed to being precise for all the projects in Thessaloniki.”

Mr. Staikouras revealed to the journalists that in order to go to the metro station he traveled by urban transport in Thessaloniki, in order to ascertain the situation prevailing in public transport due to the Flyover works that started on the ring road. “Given that there is no subway, there is correspondingly a reasonable concern of the citizens about their daily life. We must be close to them”, he underlined and added:

“With specific initiatives, we are trying to improve the everyday life of the citizen in terms of his travel by bus».

He specifically referred to the five additional urban transport lines in the city, the hiring of 150 drivers and the acquisition of 110 electric buses from April 2024 in Thessaloniki. “We are doing our best to improve the daily life of the citizen, both in terms of the timely start of the metro and to strengthen the fleet and drivers in the OASTH on the city’s buses,” he concluded.

Statements N. Tahiaou – St. Kalafati for the Thessaloniki metro

For his part, the responsible deputy minister and until recently the president of “Hellenic Metro”, Mr. Tachiaos, stated that “the dynamic tests have begun, which means that things are quickly getting on the track of being put into operation. I believe that in the second half of next year this will be achievable.”

Mr. Tahiaos also said that “we overcome a project that has been reduced to a joke for the city, we make it a reality, we deliver it to the citizens. And we move on to the next projects. By the end of the year, the Thessaloniki metro development study will have been delivered, where you will see what the next generations of metro projects will be. Because it is a project that does not run out on the main line or Kalamaria, the next stages of its development are also coming».

The minister and the deputy minister were accompanied during the tour by Mr. Kalafatis, who in his own statements said that “the Thessaloniki metro in its full completion will cover a part of the needs of daily traffic in Thessaloniki”. He added that “a lot of work and efficiency is required, without words, and that at the end of the day the people of Thessalonica will applaud and be happy with the use of this unique means”.

Two-day “Open House” with free access to 71 public and private spaces

The “Open House” action has access to 71 public and private spaces, such as monuments, schools, residences, hotels, offices, clinics, etc., which are of particular architectural interest.

In particular, for the facilities of the “Agia Sophia” metro station, the public will be able to visit the site also on Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm, with free entry for all. To access the facilities, both entrances to the station at the junction of Egnatia and Agia Sofia streets will be open.

This is the 11th year that the festival has been held in Thessaloniki and aims to promote architecture to the general public.