Christos Staikouras

It is very likely that the extension of Kymis Avenue in northern Athens, the extension of the Western Ring Road of Ymittos toward Elliniko, and other projects that were planned but have not yet started will be shelved by the Ministry of Infrastructure.

Road and railroad connections were the focus of bilateral contacts between Infastructure and Transport Minister Christos Staikouras and his Bulgarian officials during a visit to Sofia on Monday.

A single agency will be set up to manage the railway infrastructure in Greece by incorporating the three subsidiaries of state-run Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE), the Infrastructure and Transport Ministry has said.

A tender for the purchase of another 100 electric buses (12 meters long with an autonomy of 135 kilometers) has been declared void after the offer by the sole bidder, China's BYD, was deemed not to meet requirements, according to a decision signed by Transport Minister Christos Staikouras.

The Ministry of Infrastructure, and not the regions, will undertake the damage restoration projects in Thessaly and Evia, the two regions that were badly affected following the deadly Storms Daniel and Elias in September 2023.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Christos Staikouras emphasized the importance of a project to build a new branch of the Proastiakos suburban railway in West Attica, from Ano Liosia to Megara, in an interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.

A new memorandum of collaboration between the transport minister, the Hellenic Red Cross (HRC), and metro and tram manager STASY on Thursday, to upgrade first aid and emergency medical services to passengers at stations and on board.

Infrastructure & Transport Minister Christos Staikouras, HRC President Antonios Avgerinos, and STASY head Athanassios Kottaras signed the agreement.

The rail link between Athens and Thessaloniki has reopened after a three-month stoppage caused by Storm Daniel, with 131 boarding the first service from the capital on Saturday morning.

"The Greek railway is back on the tracks," said Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Staikouras, who was among the passengers as far as Larissa.

The government's priorities in boosting connectivity in transport and resilience in infrastructure were presented by Infrastructure & Transport Minister Christos Staikouras at the 25th Annual Capital Link Invest in Greece Forum in New York on Monday. 

The famous "cushion" of 37 billion euros will very soon start to "deflate" until it is reduced to around €12-13 billion, in about three years.