Three new railway projects worth a total of €1 billion in Northern Greece are being "run" by ERGOSE, aiming to make our country a hub in the wider region.
Christos Palios, the Managing Director of ERGOSE, emphasized this at the 7th Infrastructure and Transport Conference—ITC 2024, which is taking place today, September 17, and tomorrow, September 18, at the Athens Concert Hall—International Conference Centre.
"The first is the new railway link Nea Karvali - Toxotes, with a budget of 192.3 million euros. This is the largest project of the last decade, of high strategic importance. The tender is on its way to completion and success. Last week the opening of the financial bids took place; within the first quarter of 2025, the signing of the contract is expected and the construction period is 3.5 years," Palios said. As he explained, the line will connect the railway to the freight port of Kavala while allowing the operation of alternative freight corridors (Corridor BBA—the Baltic, Black, and Aegean Seas and 3Seas initiative—the Baltic, Black, and Adriatic, with the extension to the Aegean Sea).
The second project is the upgrading of the existing Alexandroupolis - Ormenio railway line, 176 km long, with a budget of €700 million. According to Palios, the environmental licensing was completed in January; decisions on expropriation are expected in October, while the country will submit a new file for the project's funding from the Connecting Europe Facility 2021-2027 programme. "The submission of binding tenders and the award of a contractor is expected in 2025," the ERGOSE CEO said, adding that the line will significantly improve cross-border connections with Bulgaria at Ormenio and with Turkey at Pythio, while it can also operate for suburban service to areas along the Evros River.
The third project is the development of the Western Thessaloniki suburban railway and the rail link to the 6th pier of Thessaloniki Port. With a budget of €53.4 million, the project has secured funding from the NSRF 2021-2027. According to Mr. Palios, consultations with the stakeholders have been completed and the financial offers of the candidates are expected to be submitted within 2025.
At the same time, the managing director of ERGOSE referred to the upgrading of PATHE, which, he said, is a main objective. "At the moment, 438.5 million euros worth of works are contracted, which will complete the upgrading of 370 km of lines out of a total of 920 km of railway network," he stressed.
FURTHER PROJECTS
Asked about the other interventions planned by ERGOSE, he replied that the second phase of the development of the Athens Station is in full swing, a project that completes the reconfiguration of the central railway station of the capital and the underground interconnection with the metro. In addition, the undergrounding of the railway corridor in Sepolia is continuing, involving the construction of a four-lane railway corridor with a total length of 2.36 km, of which 1.5 km will be fully underground.
Regarding the Athens - Patras rail link, Mr. Palios pointed out that the works for the installation of electrification on the 70.6 km section connecting Kiato with Rododafni are in full progress. Work is also underway on the longer section of the Rhododafni - Rio, with a total length of 28.8 km, while work will soon restart on a 7 km section, as the problems arising from an earlier contractor that was disbanded have been addressed. "The goal is to have the train reach Rio by 2026. At the same time, we all need to find a viable solution for it to reach the centre of Patras," the ERGOSE CEO pointed out.
