Athens metro: Govt signs contract for construction of fourth line in greater Athens area 

The Greek government on Tuesday finalized a contract for the construction of a fourth metro line in the greater Athens area, with the latest major “photo-op” event attended by PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and “talked up” as the biggest public works project in the country in recent memory.

The project carries a price tag of 1.6 billion euros and aims to build another underground fixed rail urban transport line that will, once completed, serve some of the Greek capital’s most congested downtown districts.

Speaking at the event, Mitsotakis said his center-right government, in power since July 2019, came close to scuttling the delay-plagued tender, nevertheless seeing it through and promising a commencement of the first construction works this summer.

Proposed metro line 4 will run from the Galatsi district, just north of central Athens, and continue in a “fish hook” shaped arc, heading south by southwest, then arcing east to northeast and concluding in the Goudi district. At least two proposed stations will connect with other metro stations already operating.

The line has a proposed length of 13 kilometers and includes 15 stations, namely: Alsos Veikou, Galatsi, Elikonos, Kypseli, Dikastiria (courts), Alexandras, Exarchia, Akadimia, Kolonaki, Evangelismos, Kesariani, Panepistimioupoli (the main university complex), Zografou, Ilisia and Goudi.