Today one of the biggest Cohesion Policy-funded projects in the EU and in Greece, the extension of metro line in Athens, is inaugurated. This project received an EU contribution of €470 million.
- 10 October 2022
Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “Thanks to Cohesion Policy funds the life of citizens in the greater area of Athens and Piraeus will be improved. The metro will reach the city of Pireaus, the third biggest city in Greece and will connect the country’s largest airport to the largest port in less than an hour. This major project will also foster growth and create substantial benefits to the national economy of Greece”.
This project completes metro line 3 from Athens to Piraeus and drastically improves accessibility of the urban transportation network in the urban area of Attica.
With three new stations – Maniatika, Piraeus port and Municipal Theater - for the first time citizens can reach the administrative, commercial and business center of Piraeus from its suburbs, Maniatika, Nikaia, Korydallos and, by extension, Neapoli in a matter of just a few minutes. The expected mobility changes will be fundamental to reduce the traffic in the central axes of the city and the wider region.
With the completion of the project, an additional population of 174,000 persons is expected to have easy access to the Metro network. This will reduce the use of private vehicles and the carbon dioxide emissions.
This project is part of the wider Cohesion Policy investments in public transport infrastructures in the region of Attica, which notably include metro, tram, bus and suburban rail networks.
On March 2017, the Commission approved the second phase of the EU financing of the metro.
More on EU funded projects in Greece here.