The Thessaloniki metro was first conceived more than a century ago, and the first tunnel was dug in 1986.
ADVERTISEMENTThe new metro, the first construction of which began about 38 years ago, was officially opened in Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece.
The first 9.6 kilometer line – using driverless trains and platform doors at 13 stations – was officially opened by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday.
The public will be able to use it for four days completely free of charge, and then the price of the ticket will be 0.60 euros, according to the authorities.
The Thessaloniki Metro was first envisioned more than a century ago, with the first tunnel dug in 1986. Construction began in earnest in 2003 and unearthed a treasure trove of antiquities in a vast excavation beneath the densely populated city of one million.
In 2013 the project was almost abandoned, but in 2015 the Central Archaeological Council finally agreed to separate the antiquities and return them to one of the stations, Venizelos.
“This project offers an extraordinary blend of the ancient and the modern, integrating the archaeological heritage with the metro infrastructure,” Christos Staikouras, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, told reporters on Friday during a media tour of the subway.
The tunneling followed ancient trade routes through the center of the port city, which had been continuously inhabited since ancient times. She discovered a Roman-era highway, ancient Greek cemeteries, water and drainage systems, mosaics and inscriptions, and tens of thousands of artifacts spanning the centuries, including Byzantine and Ottoman rule.
The tunnels had to be drilled deeper than originally planned, adding costs and delays, in order to preserve the ancient finds.
Key parts of what was found are on display along the underground network, including part of the marble-paved Roman thoroughfare at Venizelou Central Station.
“The project has faced significant delays and many challenges, including over 300,000 archaeological finds, many of which are now on display at various stations along the main line,” Staikouras said.
Its completion was greeted with muted amazement by residents who had for years used the subway project as a rallying point for bureaucratic delays and broken promises.
Significant delays also occurred due to financial problems faced by the project’s contractor, AEGEK, which collapsed during the economic crisis that began in 2009.
Government officials said the metro’s cost so far has reached three billion euros for the first completed subway line – and most of the second line currently under construction, which should be delivered within a year.
The construction consortium consisted of the Greek Aktor, the Italian Webuild and the Japanese Hitachi Rail.
Meanwhile, Rome’s metro line C is still under construction
Rome’s C line suffers from the same problem as the Thessaloniki metro – the discovery of many archaeological discoveries.
ADVERTISEMENTIt is now a pharaonic project marked by delays and rising costs since its inception in the 1990s. Construction, which began in 2006, has been significantly slowed by the continued discovery of priceless archaeological artifacts, requiring delicate excavation and preservation efforts.
Originally planned for completion in 2000, the timeline has been significantly extended, and new estimates indicate a possible completion by 2035. Ongoing delays and technical complexities have raised the total cost of the project to over seven billion euros.
Despite the challenges, line C represents a strategic mobility project of Rome, which aims to connect the periphery with the historic center. The presence of numerous archaeological stations along the route makes it, like the Thessaloniki metro, a rare experience where archeology and transport meet.
However, constant delays and the economic impact of the project raise questions about the sustainability of this ambitious undertaking.
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