K. Ah. Karamanlis: In 36 months Patras-Pyrgos – Speed ​​limit at 30 km in big cities

LAST UPDATE: 14:53

The Minister of Infrastructure and Transport mentioned the road axis and the railway line Patras – Pyrgos, the railway connection of the line from Athens with the port of Patras, but also the interconnection of all ports of the country with the railway, as well as road safety. Mr. Costas Karamanlis, speaking at the Regional Growth Conference in Patras.

Mr. Karamanlis reminded that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport had told the truth from the beginning, that the Patras-Pyrgos road would never be partitioned, so after a very difficult negotiation with the European Commission, the road went back to concessionaire.

“If we leave this room and go to the street, the construction sites are set up, contracts have started. So it is not a big ‘will’, but a reality”, stressed Mr. Karamanlis and underlined the importance of the construction of Patras – Pyrgos for road safety.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Transport stated that the Patras – Pyrgos road axis will be ready in 36 to 38 months, as a large part will be able to be partially delivered earlier than 40 months of the contractual obligation. He noted that funding has been secured for the reopening of the Patras – Pyrgos railway line with the Kato Achagia-Pyrgos project that will be auctioned in the summer and will be contracted by the end of the year.

“The whole of Western Greece is really changing. Because these are simply projects that were left behind for many decades. They were projects that I think most of the citizens of the area had really written off,” said Mr. Karamanlis.

Regarding the railway connection of the Athens – Patras line with the port of the Achaean capital, the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport commented: “How many years have we been discussing how to connect the port with the railway. to be taken for granted “.

He stated that the goal is to have as much undergrounding as possible and that this project has been included in the five major railway projects, which have already been auctioned and have secured funding.

“We take it for granted: We connect our ports with the railway. Because if we do not do that, how will Patras, Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Alexandroupoli play a role in what we call combined transport?” Mr. Karamanlis added and underlined: “We want Greece to become a hub of infrastructure and transport in the wider region”.

Mr. Karamanlis stated that this is a 19 km long railway connection, which is made through the process of design and construction. He noted that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport listens carefully to the local authorities and the municipality of Patras, emphasizing that at the moment most of the project is underground, which means the renovation of 70 acres for Patras. He underlined: “We will hand over Patras back to the people of Patras, because it was a line that had cut the city in half”.

Mr. Karamanlis pointed out that the new generation of projects also concerns railway projects, but also water resources management and flood control projects.

He reminded that in three years the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has auctioned eight billion euros of projects, has contracted about half and it is estimated that by the beginning of the year it will have auctioned another four billion euros. “This has never happened again in the country in recent years, nor in the period before the Olympic Games did we not have so many projects in progress”, commented Mr. Karamanlis.

Asked about Road Safety, he replied that a national strategic plan is being implemented, which includes major infrastructure projects, reform of the KOK, the idea of ​​reducing the speed limit to 30 km / h in large urban centers, while urging cyclists to wear a helmet…

Finally, he estimated that in a short time we will see the first electric buses in Athens and Thessaloniki.