PM visits contruction site of Athens metro Line 4
The PM was briefed on the progress of works and attended the symbolic naming ceremony of one of the two tunnel-boring machines, which was named 'Athena'.
"This is a very important day for the city of Athens' transport infrastructure," said Mitsotakis. "Line 4 is the largest public work that will be implemented in Greece in the next few years. Line 4 will be ready by the end of the decade. As the [transport] minister said, it will serve nearly 350,000 fellow-Athenians and provide massive relief to the capital's traffic problem," he added.
Construction of the line is expected to be completed by 2029. The line will feature 15 stations on a 12.8 km dual track. It will span some of the capital's most densely populated areas, reducing the trip from Alsos Veikou in Galatsi to the Evelpidon courts compound to 5 minutes, and to the Athens University campus at Zografou to 14 minutes.
It is estimated that when Line 4 begins operation, it will decrease road traffic by approximately 53,000 vehicles, thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 17,000 tons per year.
The construction project is budgeted at 1.5 billion euros, and it is expected to generate 5,000 new jobs.
Moreover, the first of 2 massive tunnel borers that will be put to work on the extension of the Athens metro is being assembled, the president of Attiko Metro SA announced last month.
In a post on social media, Nikos Tachiaos published photographs of the construction site on Katehaki Avenue in the Athens suburb of Ellinoroson where the assembly is taking place.
“And so, the time has come to start a U-shaped wormhole, which in a few years’ time will prove that there are shorter routes (in terms of time) than those that appear to be along a straight line: Galatsi-Goudi in 17 minutes with the ultramodern metro of Line 4,” he said in the post, referring to the two end-stations on the new line.
The new 12.8 kilometer line will consist of 15 stops that will be served by 20 driverless trains at 90-second intervals during rush hour, Tachiaos said.
The stops are: Alsos Veikou, Galatsi, Elikonos, Kypseli, Dikastiria (courts), Alexandras (avenue), Exarchia, Akadimia, Kolonaki, Evangelismos, Kessariani, Panepistimioupoli (university campus), Zografou, Ilissia and Goudi.
