The train will once again blow its whistle on the axis from Patras to Pyrgos. In a month from today, as the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Mr. Costas Karamanlis, said in the context of the Regional Growth Conference 2022, the project for the upgrade of the old metric line will be auctioned. The restart of the railway to Pyrgos, in combination with the highway, the connection of the city port with the railway, but also the upgrade of the road to Ancient Olympia through the Recovery Fund will change the map of Western Greece, opening new vistas for development.

As Mr. Karamanlis estimated, the Patras – Pyrgos axis, which has plagued the inhabitants of Western Greece for over 15 years, will be completed within 36-38 months, while it is possible to deliver segments that are ready earlier. There are two factors that contribute to meeting the relevant schedules, on the one hand, that the project is flat, so without much difficulty, and mainly that it has secured funding.

As for the restart of the railway in the section from Patras to Pyrgos, a project totaling 79 million euros, in the first phase the existing metric line will be normalized. Then it will become electric. The goal is for the first phase, the auction of which is determined in a month with a budget of 48 million euros, to be contracted by the end of the year. The duration of the redevelopment project is 24 months, so as long as there are no delays the train will run on the rails again in 2024.

It is noted that OSE, which is the manager of the national infrastructure, received the relevant cost-benefit analysis study and submitted the technical report of the project to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport for approval.

Regeneration of 7 hectares in downtown Patras thanks to the railway

Of course, the big bet for Western Greece is the much-discussed connection of the railway with the new port of Patras, a development which will include Patras in the commercial ports of the country. As the minister commented, speaking in the Achaean capital, there is already a railway line that crosses the city, which means that it is somehow divided in half. It is noted that this is the main argument of the opponents for over a decade of planning to get the train to the port, including the Mayor of Patras. “So how long will we discuss the obvious?” asked Mr. Karamanlis.

Today, the project, with a budget of 477 million euros (excluding VAT), has already entered a competitive process with the method of competitive dialogue, in the context of the huge railway package of 4 billion euros of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. Mr. Karamanlis promised that the 9 km long railway line will be underground for the most part. Today, this is already foreseen in the part of the dense urban fabric, a fact that means urban regeneration of 7 hectares in the city, but listening to the requests of the local bodies, the Ministry will try to achieve even more. The project, which will be implemented by the method of design and construction, will be funded either by the NSRF or by the CEF.

The port of Alexandroupolis in the Trans-European Network

Also, Mr. Karamanlis announced an important development concerning the port of Alexandroupolis. As he pointed out, after negotiations with the DGMove of the Commission, an oral assurance has been received that the key port of Northern Greece will be included in the TEN-T, ie in the Trans-European Transport Network. Until now this was not possible because the conditions of passenger traffic were not met.

The plan envisages that the port of Thessaloniki, which is already being developed, will be the main gateway to Southeastern Europe for all products , while Alexandroupolis will become a transport and energy hub. The railway connection of the three ports, Thessaloniki – Kavala – Alexandroupolis, is also part of the new generation projects program, so that the connected transport industry will be a large part of GDP in the coming years.

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