Overview: Construction progress in Athens Metro Line 3 extension to Piraeus

Attica region’s largest transportation and environmental project, Athens Metro Line 3 extension to Piraeus, entered its 5^th year of construction with the overall progress being quite satisfactory by now (works originally started in March 2012).

The emerging transportation map of Piraeus

As CEO of Attiko Metro S.A., Theodore Papadopoulos, announced recently, the line’s extension is due to operate in 2 separate phases, with the first 3 stations (Aghia Varvara, Koridallos and Nikea) estimated release being in the first 6 months of 2019 while in the second semester of 2020, the finalization of the extension’s pending section is also expected (i.e. Maniatika, Piraeus and Municipal Theatre terminal). The addition of this extension in the network will grow Line 3 considerably, reaching 27 stations and 50 km of length from one side to the other (Municipal Theatre-Airport). Travel time between the two terminals will be 65 minutes.

Piraeus’ transportation map will change radically as well, as the time distance between Syntagma and the municipality of Nikea will be covered in just 12 minutes, while now more than 1 hour is needed. In the same sense, Aghia Varvara Station will be just 10 minutes away from the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus and Syntagma.

The construction progress

TBM “Ippodamos” is currently 70 meters before entering Maniatika Station, and is expected to make its breakthrough in the end of March. When it reaches Maniatika Station, a short maintenance will follow, after which, the TBM will set off for its last 2.200-meter-long underground journey.

According to the current schedule, “Ippodamos” is expected to reach Piraeus Station by September (1.100 metres further than Maniatika) and till the end of 2017, Dimotiko Theatro Station (Municipal Theatre), after another 800 meters of digging. In the beginning of 2018, TBM will re-emerge on the surface from “Diligianni Well”, after 7.5 km of underground course.

Today, 1,500 people are employed directly by the contractor for the construction of the extension while another 1,500 jobs are also created by sub-contractors. The progress of the project, for the time being, is slightly less than 50% but the signaling and electronic systems’ installation will boost it exponentially on a monthly basis.

Superstructure works have started from Aghia Marina Station and will culminate after the completion of the tunneling.

Click on the links below and watch the videos depicting the progress on each station of Athens Mero Line 3’s extension as of March 2017:

– Aghia Varvara

– Koridallos

– Nikea

– Maniatika

– Pireas (Piraeus)

– Dimotiko Theatro (Municipal Theatre)

– Diligianni Well

Nikos Karagiannis-ypodomes.com

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