Rapid transit in Greece

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was a passenger in the first trial run of the Thessaloniki metro on Thursday.

The project has been plagued by years of delays mainly caused by the two re-designings of the Venizelos and Agia Sofia stations and legal wrangling over the antiquities uncovered while digging.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was a passenger in the first trial operation of the Thessaloniki metro on Thursday.

The project has been plagued by years of delays mainly caused by the two re-designings of the Venizelos and Agia Sofia stations and legal wrangling over the antiquities uncovered while digging. 

Infrastructure Minister Kostas A. Karamanlis said on Monday that the operation of the metro system being built in Thessaloniki may be conceded to a private entity.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Kostas A. Karamanlis on Monday reiterated his pledge that Thessaloniki's long-delayed metro will be delivered in full in 2023.

The Culture Ministry has approved a proposal by the Central Archaeological Council (KAS) for antiquities unearthed during excavation work for the Thessaloniki metro to be removed and repositioned there at a later date.

Greece's Central Archaeological Council (KAS) on Thursday decided to remove the antiquities unearthed during excavation work for the Thessaloniki metro, as Attiko Metro told KAS in a report obtained by Kathimerini that the original plan to keep the artifacts in situ was not reliable. 

After a lengthy meeting that went on until Thursday morning, the Culture Ministry's Central Archaeological Council (KAS) decided to remove the antiquities unearthed during excavation work for the Thessaloniki metro.

Ellaktor, the construction group that is building the Thessaloniki metro, has openly contradicted operator Attiko Metro's assertion that the often-delayed project is nearing its final stages and that the main line will open in 2020.

Workers on the Thessaloniki metro stand in front of a freshly delivered car during an "unveiling" of the northern port city's new subway system on Thursday. The metro is not set to be finished until late 2020, prompting scorn from the political opposition Thursday. "They inaugurated four cars without a station...

The first four railcars to be used in the new Thessaloniki metro system arrived in Greece's northern port city on Wednesday.
The railcars were transported by truck from Hitachi Rail Italy's manufacturing plant in Reggio Calabria, southern Italy.
They will be assembled and positioned on the tracks, before being unveiled on Thursday.