Arrival of the TBM at MANIATIKA Station in the presence of the Minister of Transport and Infrastructures
“Mr. Christos Spirtzis: “By 2019, the areas of Aghia Varvara, Korydallos and Nikea shall be served by the Metro. By the end of 2020, the entire Project is given to the public”.
“Athens and Thessaloniki turn a new page in the field of urban transport. The stagnant Projects we inherited are about to be completed. The implementation of new major Projects is imminent”.
This morning, the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) arrived at MANIATIKA Station in the presence of Mr. Christos Spirtzis, Minister of Transport and Infrastructures, signaling thus the beginning of the completion of a major Project to the benefit not just of Piraeus, but of the entire Attica basin.
The Minister of Transport and Infrastructures stressed the need to have the Line 3 extension to Piraeus completed the soonest possible, by making an appeal to all involved parties to assist in this direction. He pointed out that the government and the Ministry remain vigilant and focused on the target of successfully completing the stagnant projects the government inherited, as well as of putting on the track new Projects vital to the public transport system and the public infrastructures.
With regard to the progress in the construction of the Metro Line 3 to Piraeus, he said that “the Project has advanced to a significant extent. Sixty seven per cent (67%) of the tunnel and 50% of the entire Project have been completed. In 2019, the areas of Aghia Varvara, Korydallos and Nikea shall be served by the Metro”. He went on to say: “Nevertheless, our target is to initiate a number of Metro Projects in Athens. We begin with the tender for the new Line 4. The situation in Thessaloniki is similar. The tunnel boring works gradually draw nearer to completion and we plan the subsequent Projects and extensions. Our country, as well as the cities of Athens and Thessaloniki turn a new page, because stagnant Projects are about to be completed and, at the same time, we put on track new Projects of great importance for the urban transport system in Athens and Thessaloniki”.
Especially on the occasion of the TBM’s breakthrough at MANIATIKA Station which took place today, Mr. Spirtzis said: “We welcome the Tunnel Boring Machine at MANIATIKA Station with the hope that it will have a safe journey to PIRAEUS station. At this point, we should apologize to the citizens of Piraeus for the disturbance generated from the Metro and Tramway works”.
He also stressed that the completion of the Project will drastically change the Athens transportation map and will improve the quality of life in the entire Attica basin. “The trip from Piraeus to the Athens International Airport shall take 55’ instead of 1 hour and 45’ it currently takes. This is the most important change in our daily lives”.
The Minister also explained that resuming the works on Line 3 extension to Piraeus was not an easy task, because of the countless managerial mistakes, legal complications and technical problems:
“There were numerous problems. There were problems related to bad planning and design, forcing us to relocate PIRAEUS Station, which is essentially constructed under the sea bed. Certain Greek laws prohibited the payment of VAT and, thus, the Project suffered delays of many months. Approvals to environmental terms were absent and the archaeological works were incomplete”.
The Minister of Transport and Infrastructures attended today the arrival of the TBM, accompanied by ATTIKO METRO S.A. Chairman Mr. Yiannis Mylopoulos and Managing Director Mr. Theodoros Papsdopoulos. This event was also attended by Ms. Nina Kasssimatis SYRIZA MP, Mr. George Gavrilis Vice Governor of Piraeus district, Mr. Yiannis Moralis Mayor of Piraeus, the Mayor of Aghia Varvara Mr. George Kaplanis, the Mayor of Nikea-Aghios Ioannis Rentis Mr. George Ioakimidis, and the Mayor of Korydallos Mr. Stavros Kassimatis.
On the occasion of the TBM breakthrough, the Chairman of ATTIKO METRO S.A. Mr. Yiannis Mylopoulos made the following statement: “The implementation of strategic infrastructures, such as the Metro Projects, especially during a period of economic crisis, highlight our collective effort to bring our country back to the path of development. Extending the Metro network to Piraeus, resuming the construction works for Thessaloniki Metro project, which are now executed at a rapid pace, as well as announcing the tender for the new Line 4 in Athens at the beginning of next month, i.e. the launching of three large-scale Projects in the three most important cities of Greece, in practice improve the quality of life of their citizens and tangibly contribute in achieving the larger target of economic growth”.
Afterwards, Ms. Nina Kassimatis, SYRIZA MP, made the following statement on the arrival of the TBM at MANIATIKA Station” “Exactly one month ago, during my visit to the Metro worksites at Nikea and Korydallos, the tunnel had been completed by 65% and the TBM was 50m before MANIATIKA Station. The Time Schedule is respected. This afternoon, the TBM breakthrough at MANIATIKA Station became a fact. The government delivers on its promise to bring the Metro to the 2nd district of Piraeus region by 2019, and to the city of Piraeus by 2020.
The Mayor of Piraeus, Yiannis Moralis, who also attended this event, made the following statement: “This is a good day for Piraeus. We are here with the Minister Spirtzis, the Chairman and the Managing Director of ATTIKO METRO S.A., and the Mayors of the neighbouring Municipalities. The Metro Project is in full swing. Evidently, this is a trans-regional Project, affecting not only the Municipality of Piraeus, since the entire transportation map of Piraeus region changes. Of course, the implementation of such a major transportation Project, inevitably brings disturbance to the citizens, but they should show their understanding and be patient. This Project will change Piraeus, the district of Maniatika and the 5th Municipal Community.
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
Line 3 Extension, “Haidari – Piraeus” Section
| Agency of the Project | ATTIKO METRO S.A. |
| Contractor | “J&P–ΑVAX Α.Ε.–GELLA Spa–ALSTOM TRANSPORT S.A.” Joint Venture |
| Contract Signing Date | 01/03/2012 |
| Contract Deadline | 2000 calendar days |
| Lump Sum Price (LSP) | 343,960,000.00€ (contingencies, works executed on a cost-plus basis, revision are not included) 467,462,120.60€ (contingencies, works executed on a cost-plus basis, revision are included) |
| Scope of the Project | The construction of the tunnel of Line 3 Extension extending from the forestation of Aghia Marina (Municipality of Egaleo) up to the forestation of Dimotiko Theatro of Piraeus; the subject tunnel is approximately 7.55km long, out of which, 6.51km shall be constructed using the TBM machine while the remaining kilometers shall be bored by the NATM underground method. The subject extension includes six (6) new Stations, namely: AGHIA VARBARA, KORYDALLOS, NIKEA, MANIATIKA, PIRAEUS, DIMOTIKO THEATRO and seven (7) intermediate ventilation shafts. |
| Progress of Works | Works progress percentage: 50% TBM tunnel boring activities percentage: 67% Civil Works progress percentage: 67% Electromechanical Works progress percentage: 12% |
| Basic Problems that affected the progress of the Project and caused delays as compared to the Contractual Time Schedule | The delay of the project rises to approximately 3 years and is due to technical problems, administration mistakes, legal entanglements and interventions made by local agencies. The main problems concerned as follows: PIRAEUS Station
The recorded delay for PIRAEUS Station is more extended. ΤΒΜ Tunnel
MANIATIKA Station
THE ENTIRE PROJECT Decision made by the Contractor for the interruption of the construction activities for the time period extending from June 2015 up to October 2015 and down-graded operation of the worksites until December 2015; the Contractor invoked non-payment of the VAT on the part of ATTIKO METRO S.A., a fact that resulted in the lack of his cash-flow and inability to finance the Project. It is stressed that ATTIKO METRO S.A. was not paying the VAT related amounts by virtue of Law 4281/2014, article 1. |
Completion of the Project
The arrival of TBM in MANIATIKA signals the completion of the 2/3 of the tunnel. The TBM arrives here after having crossed the greatest part of the problematic limestone rock. It is estimated that the works for the boring of the tunnel and TBM-related works in all stations will have been completed by the end of the year.
Based on the available data and the initiatives undertaken by the Ministry and the Management of AM on removing past obstacles and eliminating any uncertainties, the first three (3) stations (AGHIA VARVARA, KORYDALLOS, NIKEA) will be ready to be commissioned in the first trimester of 2019, while the remaining section of the Project will be commissioned by the end of 2020.
MANIATIKA Station will be ready in the beginning of 2020.
The Metro extension to Piraeus will serve 132,000 passengers on a daily basis. In addition, upon the commissioning of the Project, the circulation of private vehicles will be reduced by approximately 23,000 vehicles on a daily basis, inducing a daily reduction of CO2 pollutants by 120 tonnes.
More precisely, PIRAEUS Station is planned to accommodate a major Transportation Hub in view of connecting two Metro Lines (Lines 1 and 3), the Port, the Suburban Railway and the Tramway, planned to serve this area as well, facilitating, thus, transfers between all means of transport.
Upon the completion of the Project, Line 3 will be 50km long and shall have 27 stations. It will connect the Port of Piraeus with the Athens Historical Center and Athens International Airport.
It will take approximately 55 minutes to get from the Port to the Airport and vice-versa. This is a record travel time, as compared to the time required nowadays for this 1 hour and 45 minute-trip that involves numerous transfers.
The crux of the matter is that this extension will ensure unhindered circulation of the passengers between the two major entrance-exit gates of our country.
In addition, the operation of the entire extension will entail the restructuring of many bus lines. Instead of serving the municipalities to be served by the Metro Extension (Aghia Varvara, Nikea, Korydallos, Piraeus) these lines shall operate as feeding lines to the Metro system.
