8 tenders for the 1.4 bln euro road and railway damage repair projects in Thessaly after the 2023 mega floods

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is in a race against time to issue the eight separate contracts for road and rail restoration projects in Thessaly, amounting to approximately 1.4 billion euros. According to information from ypodomes.com, we are now in the countdown to the start of the tenders. As is known, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport will oversee the tenders in their entirety.

In recent days, the projects have been reviewed by the Technical Council and a ministerial decision is now expected, which will give the green light for the tenders to begin through a fast-track process. The funding for the projects is covered by resources from the Recovery Fund, and the completion of the projects is expected to be within the existing time limits.

At the same time, the process for the Public Investment Program (PIP) is underway to allocate the necessary funds for the credits in the state budget. This means that, according to current estimates, once the bids are submitted, it will take approximately one month for the contracts to be finalized and for the projects to begin.

The railway projects

Regarding the projects, there are two distinct categories. The first category consists of railway projects, which include 4 contracts. Three of them concern restoration works on each line, specifically:

-The Domokos-Larissa railway line (from km 288.6 to km 328.84, up to the Krannonas Station). The contractor will initially undertake the restoration of the uphill line. Once the line is delivered, normal speeds, reaching up to 160 km/h, will be reinstated. Subsequently, the contractor will need to undertake the restoration of the downhill line (from Larissa to Domokos).

Essentially, the line will be enclosed, and at intervals, there will be openings (low in the infrastructure) so that in the event of a flood, the water can be channeled from one side of the line to the other. This will prevent the destruction of the line’s infrastructure and the systems that accompany it.

-The railway line Larissa-Volos: Here, a complete upgrade of the infrastructure will be carried out, which will be elevated, and new rails will be installed. At the same time, the Krausidonas bridge will also be upgraded, elevated, and its cross-section will be increased so that it is not affected by flooding events.

-The Paleofarsalos-Kalambaka railway line (restoration in identified sections). This includes localized elevation so that during flooding events, the water passes underneath the tracks. The amount here is noticeably lower as the renovation works on the single track were carried out about 20 years ago.

The fourth contract will involve installing systems on the aforementioned lines. By systems, we mean signaling, electrification, ETCS, etc. Regarding ETCS, it will remain at level 1 but will be upgraded to baseline 3.1, incorporating the latest update. The total cost amounts to approximately 463 million euros including VAT.

The road projects

The second category is road works, for which 4 contracts have been created, addressing urgent repair projects due to damage caused by the severe weather events “Daniel” and “Elias”.

The cost of the works is nearly 900 million euros, specifically 899.7 million euros including VAT. According to information from ypodomes.com, these have been allocated to 4 different regions, which are as follows:

• Restoration works in the Municipalities of Zagori – Moresio, South Pelion, Volos, and Riga Fereou, with a budget of 278.2 million euros.
• Restoration works in the Municipalities of Argithea, Lake Plastira, Meteora, and Pylis, with a budget of 267.5 million euros.
• Restoration works in the Municipalities of Tempi, Tyrnavos, Elassona, Agia, Larissa, Farkadona, Kileler, Palama, Mouzaki, Trikala, and Karditsa, with a budget of 184 million euros.
• Restoration works in the Municipalities of Istiaia, Mantoudi, Domokos, Lamia, Almyros, Farsala, and Sofades, with a budget of 170 million euros.

Based on the recording of damages, the resources will be allocated as follows:

• 33% to the Regional Unit of Magnesia.
• 25% to the Regional Unit of Trikala.
• 21% to the Regional Unit of Karditsa.
• 9.5% to the Regional Unit of Larissa.
• 9.5% to the Regional Unit of Evia.
• 2% to the Regional Unit of Phthiotis.

The amount of 1.4 billion euros, aside from road and railway restoration projects in Thessaly, concludes with yet another contract package. It should be noted that since June 3rd, six contracts have been signed between the KTYPA and contractor companies for the restoration of damages incurred at 33 educational units in Thessaly and Central Greece from last September’s devastating floods.

These projects have a total budget of 30.5 million euros, financed by the Union of Greek Shipowners, and are expected to be completed by the end of the year. Their operational readiness will be phased and dependent on the progress of the work.

For more details and the complete article in Greek, click here