Decision to put the project under the tendering process as a public work: 9/2003: Legislative regulation assigning the implementation of the project to ELLINIKO METRO S.A.
In September 2003 the decision was made for the Thessaloniki Metro to be constructed as a Public Work by means of National and European Union funds.
On the basis of the new Invitation to Tender, in June 2004 five Joint Ventures, consisting of major Greek and Foreign companies of the construction field, expressed their interest in participating in this Tender. The first stage of the Tender at hand was completed in November 2004. Four (4) of the five (5) Joint Ventures were qualified to proceed to the second stage of the tender and in January 2005 they took delivery of the tender documents, as well the new advanced concept design of the Project.
In May 12th 2005, the pre-selected Joint Ventures submitted their Technical and Financial Offers and in August 19th the Tender Committee completed the evaluation process of the Technical and Financial Offers submitted by the three Joint Ventures, which were accepted to participate in the final phase of the Tender.
The Contract with the Contracting Joint Venture AEGEK – IMPREGILO – ANSALDO T.S.F – SELI – ANSALDOBREDA was signed on April 7th 2006 and the construction of the Project commenced at the end of June 2006.
The contract for the construction of the Thessaloniki Metro extension to Kalamaria was signed in June 2013 with the contracting Company AKTOR ATE; this project has been integrated into the NSRF – Operational Program “Macedonia – Thrace” and the Regional Operational Program “Transport Infrastructures, Environment and Sustainable Development” and is funded by the EIB. Its overall budget amounts to € 518 million (the amount of € 400 million concerns the contract signed) and it consists in 4.78km and 5 stations.
The construction of the Thessaloniki Metro integrated state-of-the-art technology and the most demanding specifications/standards concerning both quality and operability, rendering it, thus, not only better than the Athens Metro, but also the most modern Metro System in the whole Europe.
The characteristics of the basic Thessaloniki Metro network are the following:
- 13 modern center platform stations
- 6 km of Line (with two independent single track tunnels)
- 18 ultra-automatic and state-of-the-art trains, fully air-conditioned, which run without a train driver, with an attendant onboard
- platform screen doors (PSD) systems on the platforms for each station, for providing optimal services and maximum safety to passengers
- construction of a depot covering a surface of 50,000 square meters in Pylea area
