Athens Suburban Railway: tender for the new extension to Western Attica to go live within days

The project for the Western Attica Suburban, one of the most important new transportation projects in the wider area of the capital, was included in the Recovery Fund. The relevant decision was signed yesterday by the Deputy Minister of Finance, Thodoros Skylakakis.

With the inclusion of the project, the way is opened for the auction of the project in the next period of time. This is one of the largest projects of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, through the Recovery Fund that will be implemented by OSE. The new suburban line should be completed by the end of 2025, as part of the completion of the T.A.

The project has a total budget including VAT of €135.09 million and will be the largest project that OSE has tendered in years. It concerns the reopening with an upgrade of the old railway line Ano Liosia-Elefsina-Megara which will become part of the Suburban Railway of Athens serving these areas as well as the constantly growing industrial and professional activity that is observed.

Eight new stations

Eight new stations will operate on this new line of the Suburban Railway, 36 kilometers long: Along the railway line, the following stations are planned: ELPE Aspropyrgos, Aspropyrgos, Vamvakia, Elefsina, ELPE Elefsina, Loutropyrgos, Nea Peramos and finally Megara.

The works include the renovation of the single railway line. In the section Liosia – ELPE Aspropyrgos (VEA), the line has been studied in order to have the possibility of doubling in the future with an axial distance of 3.80m without this design affecting the single line in operation. As part of the Project, the restoration study of the vertical road crossings affected by the upgrade of the existing line is also included.

In addition, it will serve the transport load of goods for the ELPE facilities in Aspropyrgos and Elefsina, while there will be a provision for the passage of passengers on the lines of the existing Suburban Railway Network (SKA-Kiato, A. Liosion and Megaron station).

The final project will include electrification and signaling after the connections with SKA-Kiato. At the same time, it will connect Western Attica with Athens, Athens International Airport, Piraeus and the rest of the railway network.

The Upgrading of the Suburban Railway in Western Attica is an infrastructure project that serves the overall development of the region and the social needs of movement of the population of Western Attica, while at the same time it contributes to limiting the environmental impacts of increased movements.

For this project, Environmental Conditions have been issued and no expropriations are required as the project moves within the existing railway corridor. A Technical Consultant has also been appointed for the execution of the project.

The connection to Megara

In the Contract of the above project, it is provided, with an option, the construction of the extension of the Liosia – Megara highway towards the old Megara Railway Station, within the settlement of the same name, after the issuance of the relevant AEPO for the section in question. The extension in question is approximately 2.9 km long and throughout the said length the new RW runs within the existing rail corridor of the old metric RW to Peloponnese.

The beginning of the extension is defined around the km position 56+950 of the new Liosia-Megara railway line, a position where a track change facility is planned in which the divergent branch ends at the Megara RS of the HSRL, while the main branch is the extension towards the old Megara RS. The end of the extension is designed within the old RS of Megara, which is now configured as a terminal with provision for a central dock.

The end of the axis of the RW expansion has a Km position ~59+800. Along the entire length, the new RW is designed with a cross-section of a single RW. Within RS of Megara, the development of a 2nd train station is foreseen to serve 2 trains. The estimated additional construction cost of the extension to the old RS of Megara amounts to 8,550,000.00 excluding VAT (approximately 10 million euros including VAT).