[Nikos Arvanitidis/AMNA]
The long-delayed expansion of Thessaloniki’s metro to Kalamaria enters service on Thursday, bringing to a close what officials describe as a 13-year odyssey.
The 4.78-kilometer extension adds five stations – Nomarchia, Kalamaria, Aretsou, Nea Krini and Mikra – and is expected to cut travel time between the city center and Kalamaria to about 20 minutes.
The project took roughly three times longer than originally planned and cost about €65 million more than expected, continuing a pattern of schedule and budget overruns associated with metro construction.
Yet officials emphasize its impact on mobility. Infrastructure Minister Christos Dimas said the extension is expected to add 63,000 passengers and reduce traffic by 13,000 to 15,000 vehicles. Trains will run every three minutes on the shared section of the network and every 4.5 minutes toward Mikra.
