Tunnel borer being assembled to start work on new Athens metro line

The first of two massive tunnel borers that will be put to work on the extension of the Athens metro is being assembled, the president of Attiko Metro SA announced on Tuesday.

In a post on social media, Nikos Tachiaos published photographs of the construction site on Katehaki Avenue in the Athens suburb of Ellinoroson where the assembly is taking place. 

“And so, the time has come to start a U-shaped wormhole, which in a few years’ time will prove that there are shorter routes (in terms of time) than those that appear to be along a straight line: Galatsi-Goudi in 17 minutes with the ultramodern metro of Line 4,” he said in the post, referring to the two end-stations on the new line.

The new 12.8 kilometer line will consist of 15 stops that will be served by 20 driverless trains at 90-second intervals during rush hour, Tachiaos said.

The stops are: Alsos Veikou, Galatsi, Elikonos, Kypseli, Dikastiria (courts), Alexandras (avenue), Exarchia, Akadimia, Kolonaki, Evangelismos, Kessariani, Panepistimioupoli (university campus), Zografou, Ilissia and Goudi.

The project has a budget of 1.5 billion euros and is being partially funded by the European Union.