Tenders for 2 major railway projects “before the gates”

Ready to be tendered, with a considerable delay, are two major large railway projects in Southern Greece. According to secure information provided at Ypodomes.com, by the end of the month, the Managing Authority of NSRF 2014-2020 is expected to approve the projects for the construction of the famous “Sepolia Tunnel” and the electrification and signalling works of Kiato-Aeghio (Rododafni) section.

The two projects have been under assessment by the Managing Authority since July and are at an advanced stage, regarding their approval, especially after the submission of supplementary data. More specifically:

Sepolia Tunnel: Concerns the construction of an underground quadruple, electrified track starting from Athens Central Railway Station. The total length of the project is 2.36 km, 1.440 meters of which will be fully underground, relieving the area from several (and often deadly) level crossings. The project is expected to be auctioned immediately after the tender’s approval with a budget of 109mn euros. What remains to be sorted out are the signatures of ERGOSE and INEA (which handles “Connecting Europe Facilities” tool) for the project’s funding, which are expected to be finalized by the end of the year. The completion of the project is estimated to last 3 years from the contract’s signature.

Kiato-Aeghio: Concerns the electrification and signalling works for the new high-speed double-track line in Kiato-Aegio (Rododafni), 71 km long. The tender notice, which is expected immediately after the approval of the NSRF Managing Authority, will essentially conclude all projects in the area. The funding will be fully covered by NSRF 2014-2020 sources and is budgeted at 85.19mn euros. Its implementation time is estimated at 26 months.

It is noteworthy that Kiato-Aeghio line will start operation in 2018 without electrification (temporarily) after a decade’s closure due to upgrade works. The distance between Athens and Aeghio is expected to be covered in about 100-120 minutes by diesel trains or the combination of electric and diesel engines (swaping at Kiato Station).

The two projects, if tendered until the end of 2017, are expected to be signed in 2018 putting their completion in 2021 and 2020 respectively.

Nikos Karagiannis-ypodomes.com

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