Ten years after the delivery of the last major extension of Line 2 of the Athens metro, which today connects Anthoupolis with Ellinikon, a new esxtension is on the way. Attiko Metro yesterday turned the hourglass of the tender for the extension to Ilion with approximately 4 km of new line and three new stations. Traffic congested Western Attica is finally on track for new infrastructure projects, as is the extension of the Suburban railway that will connect Ano Liosia with Megara, for which the tender was launched before the holidays by OSE.

The new extension of Line 2 has been designed to cover many densely populated areas of Western Attica, while in the future it is also going to go towards Acharnes. There is provision, in the context of the overall planning of the metro network of the capital, for a response to the Ilion station with the future extension of Line 4 to Petroupolis.

It is estimated that the new section of the extension of Line 2, after Anthoupolis with three stations in Palatiani, Ilion and Agios Nikolaos, with a length of about 4 km, will serve at least 67,000 passengers daily, the number of citizens who will be served in terms of their residence within a radius of 500 meters from the 3 new stations will rise to 42,000 and the corresponding jobs served are estimated at around 5,000.

Mapping of the new stations

Palatiani station is located at the intersection of Thivon and Andreas Papandreou streets and has two entrances on either side of Thivon, with the depth of the station reaching 22.5 m from the ground surface. The Ilion station will also be located on Thivon, with two entrances on either side, at the intersection with Elaion street , which will reach 24 meters below the surface of the ground. The final station Agios Nikolaos is located under part of the street of the same name and part of the landscaped green space located between Paramythia, Olynthos, Zitsis and Agios Nikolaos streets. The three stations will have side platforms 4.50 m wide and 110 m long.

The project also includes the Station Ventilation Wells (some of which are integrated into the stations), as well as six Wells along the route: “Agiou Sostis”, “Antipaxon”, “Filoktitos”, “Hermionis”, “Platonos” and “Agia Glykerias”. In Palatiani, a transfer station will also be created, in an undeveloped area adjacent to the station under construction, between Andreas Papandreou and Iconio streets. It will have three underground levels with access via ramps, with a total capacity of approximately 150 vehicles and with a direct connection to the station. On the surface of this, a bus transfer area will be formed.

Expansion of the depot in Eleonas

The future operation of the extension in question, combined with the planned supply of an additional 13 new trains that will strengthen the network of the capital, make it necessary to expand the depot in Eleonas in the adjacent area at the corner of Agia Anna and Pieria streets. The area has an area of approximately 2 hectares and is currently occupied mainly by warehouses of the former Athenian Paper Factory and other properties. It is noted that the tender for the new trains is being prepared for the middle of the year.

Accordingly, the future operation of the extension also makes it necessary to upgrade/replace some equiupment in a large part or even in the whole of the existing Lines 2 and 3, as the existing ones are no longer supported by the manufacturers, there are no spare parts and the costs have increased their down time.

The international electronic tender for the entire “triple” project will take place in two stages, with the pre-selection in phase A followed by the financial offers in phase B. The estimated budget amounts to 550 million euros or 682 million including VAT.

The goal of extensions

With the work on the brand new Line 4 having begun, Attiko Metro has gun actions to mature the next day of the Athens Metro. The next phase of the extension of Line 2 is going to have three stations towards Kamatero and Ano Liosia, where it will connect with the Suburban Railway on Attiki Odos, and finally end in Acharnes (centre of Menidi).

Priority has also been given to the connection of the metro network with the National Highway, in order to breathe life into one of the most burdened axes of the capital. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport recommends the extension of Line 1, the well-known old electric line, from Kifissia to Varibompi as the most suitable, as the northern phase of the future Line 4 extension to the north will take a long time.

The extension of the electric line will pass through Nea Erythrea and will end at the Varymombi junction. As long as the project matures and the necessary financing is found, then the electric railway will arrive faster than any other solution to the National Highway. The budget of the project is estimated at around 200 million euros.

Of course, the northern extension of Line 4 will also end there in the future. Initially, the orange line will connect to Marousi from Goudi with seven new stations. It will serve the municipalities of Psychiko-Filothei, Halandri and Marousi. Then, it will pull towards National Highway. The twin project has an estimated budget of over €1 billion.

A priority is also the underground connection of the electric line after the station of Thisio to Kallithea, 5 km long, with four stations: Hamosternas, Davaki Square, Filaretou Hill/Tzitzifies and SNFCC. The cost is estimated at 450 million euros. The next phase of the line’s development will extend towards Paleo Faliro, along Amphithea Avenue.

The “southern” extension of Line 2 from Elliniko, 4.4 km long, with stations in Ano Glyfada, Vouliagmenis Avenue and Glyfada, with a budget of 350 million euros, is still being prepared.

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