‘Final step’ taken towards delivering Thessaloniki metro by 2024
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday attended the signing of the operation and maintenance contract for the Thessaloniki metro, which he described as an “important final step” towards getting the long-delayed transport project delivered to the people of the northern port city within 2024.
The 250-million-euro contract between Elliniko Metro – the public company formerly known as Attiko Metro and responsible for the Greek capital’s subway system – and the Thema SA consortium is for 12 years.
Describing the commissioning of a private contractor to run the metro as a “bold decision” on behalf of the Transport Ministry, Mitsotakis noted that “recent events have brought back to mind the sins of the past, when we did not know who was responsible for maintaining important infrastructure paid for by Greek taxpayers.”
The prime minister was also given a tour of the archaeological site that lies beneath the Agia Sofia station, where the signing ceremony took place. Apart from Agia Sofia, the Venizelos Street station also yielded significant antiquities during excavations for the metro.
