Western Greece: Patras city to acquire underground railway line by 2022

The case of the railway line’s design in Patras is on the verge of a major overturn, concerning the section between Rio and the Port. The impasse of the project made a sudden, 180-degree turn and is now a step before its definite resolution, bringing great benefits to the local community.

The Ministry of Infrastructure seems to be willing to finally satisfy the demand of the Municipality and a considerable portion of the residents which insisted on the undergrounding of the line’s passage through the urban grid for the avoidance of the city’s bisection.

From a social and technocratic point of view, Patras is now one step away from acquiring the privilege of an underground line, which in combination with the successful presence of its operating suburban railway, will create an excellent opportunity for the upgrade of its urban environment. The undergrounded section is estimated to be roughly 4 km long.

Of course, everyone has a share in this success. The Municipality, which insisted from the first moment, TC of Western Greece, who made a targeted proposal which was a fine fit for the city’s needs and last but not least the Ministry which proved to be wise and flexible enough to accept a commonly welcomed solution to a long-standing problem.

If everything goes as planned, projects will commence in 2019, meaning that by the end of 2022, Patras will be proudly featuring its own underground railway and a solid connection with the rest of the Greek railway network which is currently under transformation, even utilizing its strategic location for the development of a new Logistics Centre serving Western Greece.

 

Nikos Karagiannis-ypodomes.com

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