Combined transport: Greece’s next major goal

Combined transportation could be the country’s future discourse. As infrastructure in Greece is being significantly enriched and supplemented, the epicenter of the discussion gradually transfers from the serious infrastructure deficit to the new opportunities opening ahead.

For example, Greece now features one of the most advanced motorway networks in Europe interconnecting major ports all over the country; from Piraeus to Elefsina, Corinth, Patras, Ighoumenitsa, Thessaloniki, Kavala, Alexandroupoli, Volos, Kalamata etc.

The next link yet to be sufficiently connected to this emerging chain are the airports. Athens, Thessaloniki, Kalamata, Kavala, Alexandroupoli and Ioannina are indeed easily accessible through the road network. But still, improvements are needed with the inclusion of more airports and waterways (when they will become operational).

What could boost even more the concept of combined transportation is essentially the interconnectivity of strategic places and activities that are vital for the economy. Industrial areas, for example, are another substantial link that could allow swift and efficient goods trading both domestically and abroad.

Last but not least is the railway network which is currently under an extensive overhaul. Combined transport is here to stay. The idea that different means of transport are ruthless competitors to each other could be regarded as obsolete and invalid by now, especially in the light of the dramatic changes in Greece’s infrastructure inventory.

The game from now on should be all about cooperation in the transportation “neural network” that is being formed and how we could set up a strategy that will maximize both functionality for its users and profits for its operators, that will be interpreted as an encouraging step for a struggling economy. Nevertheless, the role of Infrastructure and Shipping Ministries’ is expected to be pivotal as to how fruitful the new reality can be for Greece and its infrastructure.

Nikos Karagiannis-ypodomes.com

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