The handover ceremony of the Thessaloniki Metro was attended by the Member of Parliament for Drama and Head of the Parliamentary Sector for Infrastructure and Transport Anastasios Nicolaidis and the Secretary of the Sector for Public Infrastructure and Networks Dimitris Sarigiannis, representing PASOK and its President Nikos Androulakis.

The delivery for use by the citizens of an iconic and innovative project, which is expected to give further development prospects to Thessaloniki, to contribute to the alleviation of the city’s traffic problem and to act as a catalyst for the environmental and social cohesion of the wider urban complex, is undoubtedly an event of historical importance.

At the same time, the opening of the Metro also marks the official end of a long period of great suffering and significant inconvenience to residents and visitors, which changed for a long time the physiognomy of the center of Thessaloniki, creating intense dysfunctions in the social and economic life of the city.

For the completion of the project, previous governments have contributed over time, including those of PASOK, while the contribution of the institutions of Thessaloniki and the local community was important, which, after demonstrating a lifetime of patience, can now enjoy the first kilometers of a modern underground transportation network.

The opening of the Thessaloniki Metro marks the beginning of a new era for Thessaloniki. At the same time, however, the huge delay and the significant problems in the course of its construction make this specific project an example to be avoided in terms of the implementation of flagship projects in our country. It is the duty of the political forces to ensure that multi-year delays in projects that improve the quality of life of citizens and act as catalysts in the development perspective of local societies are definitively a thing of the past.