Greece railway restoration on Athens–Thessaloniki axis nears completion

Restoration works on the central Athens–Thessaloniki railway axis are expected to be completed by the end of August. These projects aim to repair extensive damage caused by the extreme weather events ‘Daniel’ and ‘Elias’ in September 2023.

The primary focus involves the restoration of approximately 40 kilometers of double-track line between Domokos and Krannonas, near Larissa. The project, contracted to METKA for approximately €166.66 million, includes repairing infrastructure, embankments, and implementing measures to increase resilience against future extreme weather. Additionally, separate works are underway to restore signaling, telecontrol, electrification, and ETCS Level 1 systems on the Paleofarsalos–Krannonas section.

Other major components of the €450.12 million restoration plan include repairing the single-track lines of Paleofarsalos–Kalambaka and Larissa–Volos. Once these infrastructure improvements are finalized, the goal is to increase service frequency. By September 2026, the central axis is expected to support eight pairs of daily trips, with travel times between Athens and Thessaloniki reduced to approximately 3.5 hours. The long-term target is to reach 12 daily trips by 2027.