Thessaloniki, Greece, To Get Public Tram System
The Council of Thessaloniki Public Transport has announced plans to add a public tram line in the Greek northern city, aiming to offer an effective transport system to residents and visitors.
Reports said the plan was welcomed recently by Thessaloniki Mayor Yiannis Boutaris who said the project will be tabled to receive funds from the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) program.
According to the plan, the new tram line will be 24 km long, have 43 stops – five of which will be shared with the under-construction Metro (Neos Sidirodromikos Stathmos, Panepistimia, Papafi, Proin Nomarhia, Mikra) – five terminals, a 45-hectare depot and electrification by overhead cables. The cost of its construction is estimated at 20-22 million euros per km (total 515.76 million euros).
Passengers will be transported via 45 low-floor vehicles with a capacity of 220 people (140 standing, 40 seated), at a maximum speed of 80 km per hour.
It is estimated that some 172,700 commuters will use the new stations daily. The ticket price will be close to 1 euro.
A tender is expected to launch by the end of the year for construction to begin by the end of 2016. The first phase of the tram should be completed by 2020 while the whole tram line is expected to operate by 2030.
Now it`s 2020. Nothing happend! The very expensive Metro will not solve the problem of the town, filled up with cars. The tram is much cheaper to build an to maintain, is moving very softly, dosn’t have steps to get in, is air-conditioned and has always a good sight for the users. And if it’s using a separate roadway, it will be much faster than any car in the city.
But it is also very important, that the tram must reach not only the central busstop an the airport. ist must also reach the towns in the
neighborhood, where the people working or shopping in Thessaloniki are coming from. Today it is even possible, to use the railroad tracks. The attractivity of Thessaloniki depends on the tram !
So, what ever happened to this project? Did it go ahead?
It is January of 2017, but no updates to this article.
Thanks