Thessaloniki Metro contract signing: Comments by Ministers Staikouras, Mendoni, Tachiaos

The contract for the maintenance and operation of the Thessaloniki Metro, signed in the northern city on Wednesday in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is worth 250 million euros and has a ten-year duration.

Signing at the completed 'Agia Sofia' Metro stop on behalf of Hellenic Metro SA was its CEO Nikos Kouretas, and on behalf of Thema SA consortium Arrigo Giana (Azienda Trasporti Milanesi/ATM), Renaud Béziade (Egis) and Carlo Bianco (Thema SA).

"Thessaloniki will acquire and operate the most updated metro in Europe in 2024 that will incorporate state-of-the-art systems and the most demanding levels of quality, operationability, and security," Infrastructure & Transport Minister Christos Staikouras, who attended, said.

"The main motto underpinning a subway's operation is safety. We are sure that the people we are going to work with know this job," Deputy Infrastructure Minister Nikos Tachiaos added.

Culture Minister Lina Mendoni spoke of the excavated antiquities that will be exhibited at stations, and said "the Thessaloniki Metro proves that the presence of antiquities in the framework of a large public project is a comparative advantage." The project, she said, will include "five stations/museums, an archaeological site at the 'Agia Sofia' stop, and the internationally largest archaeological site incorporated at a major technical project, at 'Venizelos' station, in the daily life of the city and the Metro passengers."