Siemens wins contract to extend Athens metro

Germany?s Siemens AG says it has won a contract worth 41 million euros to provide signaling and other technology for an extension of the Athens subway system, The Associated Press reported from Berlin on Wednesday.

Siemens said Wednesday that the project ? which is being 70 percent financed by European Union subsidies ? includes partial automation of the trains.

Lines 2 and 3 of the Athens metro are being extended by a total of 16 kilometers, a plan that includes a link between the Greek capital?s airport and the port of Piraeus.

Siemens? announcement came the week after Greece?s Parliament ratified an agreement to end a long-running dispute over alleged bribe-paying by the company.

As part of that deal, Siemens said it would spend over 100 million euros «to enhance its activities in Greece» and preserve jobs.

[AP]