High-speed trains on track
PATRAS – Railway companies in Greece are having a very important year with many projects under way, while a new high-speed line, similar to those in Western Europe, will start operating across Greece within a few years, said Transport Minister Michalis Liapis. «There is a real cosmogony taking place in the railways. We are having the greatest interventions in more than 100 years, which is why I am personally observing the projects’ progress. Their realization is a major personal challenge for me,» said Liapis, in Patras to monitor work on the new railway line to link the city in the northwestern Peloponnese with Athens. «This year, we are completing the contracts, rapidly absorbing European funds and finishing with the realization of major projects,» said Liapis. Later on in the day, he announced that high-speed trains running on a twin electricity-powered line will link Patras, Athens, Thessaloniki and the northern border post of Evzoni in a «railway network similar to the European ones.» He also announced the decision for 5 kilometers of the railway line in Patras to go underground. «Already the relevant studies are ready and the project is expected to start within the next year. We are cooperating with the local authorities to utilize these spaces for the benefit of local society, as the line goes through the city’s densely populated district,» he said. On the creation of a tramline in Patras, Liapis said he proposed that the project be undertaken by a public-private partnership, adding that the ministry has already ordered the funding of the relevant study for -1 million. Finally, he stated that the ministry’s interventions over the last three years on issues concerning the private regional coach network (KTEL), including the construction of a new terminal and the arrangement of KTEL’s huge debts, «are changing the transport landscape with more quality services by KTEL, new coaches and modern infrastructure.» Eight new coaches were presented yesterday within the context of the local KTEL fleet’s renewal.
