Signatures are near for Sepolia Underground Railway Tunnel

Until Autumn, the major railway project for the construction of Sepolia Underground Railway Tunnel will begin. According to a press release of ERGOSE, contract signatures are expected in July. At this time, the contract has been sent for approval to the Court of Auditors. The next step is the project’s ratification from the Greek Parliament, allowing the final step which is the signing of the contract. The temporary contractor of the project (soon-to-be officially the permanent contractor) is INTRAKAT-SIDIRODROMIKA ERGA ATE with a 45.71% discount.

Sepolia Tunnel is the first, large-scale railway infrastructure project that has been auctioned in about 3 years. The cost of the project is 151.28mio euros (VAT incl., excl. VAT 122mio euros) and concerns the construction of a 1.9 km tunnel. Total length of the new quadruple, electrified line will be 2.36 km.

With the implementation of this project, the decision of the Council of State, holding from 2004, which had imposed the undergrounding of the lines, will be finally fullfilled. When operational, the tunnel will support all railway traffic to and from Athens, while on the surface there will be a major redevelopment of the currently, ran-down surrounding area with the removal of all dangerous level crossings and the construction of new recreational spaces.

Implementing entity of this project is ERGOSE. The duration of the construction phase is 52 months. It is noteworthy that there is a provision for the uninhibited operation of the existing lines, during the construction phase of the underground tunnel. Upon the completion of the western part of the tunnel, trains will be transferred to the first 2 underground lines. The eastern part will be then removed, in order for the 2 remaining underground lines to be constructed, that will also conclude the project. Tunnelling works will require “surgical precision” as they pass between the existing Metro Tunnel of Line 2 and the city’s main water pipe.

Nikos Karagiannis-ypodomes.com

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