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The first 18 buses, which are part of the 50 vehicles purchased by the Thessaloniki City Council from Leipzig, Germany and the 180 used cars leased by an OASTH tender, were inspected by the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Costas Karamanlis.
According to the Athens and Macedonia News Agency, the minister was at the IKEA terminal at noon, accompanied by the mayor of Thessaloniki, Konstantinos Zervas and the president of OASTH, George Skodra, for the reception of the vehicles and stated that to End of 2020 A total of 550 urban ones circulate through the streets of the city.
“We are here today to collect the first 18 buses that come to help with the transport project in Thessaloniki, the four from Leipzig and the first buses that come after the leasing contest that we held in May,” said the minister in his remarks. journalists. He acknowledged that “the urban transport situation in Thessaloniki is not adequate in a city that we mean is the capital of the Balkans” and recalled that the situation that the ND government received after the elections “was very difficult”.
The minister referred to the contract signed with KTEL, a measure that increased the number of urban residents to 350, and promised that by the end of the year “550 buses will circulate through the streets of Thessaloniki, which is what the city needs to be safe and secure. security”. and reliable transportation. “He also stressed that public transportation efforts will continue as a tender for fleet renewal in Athens and Thessaloniki follows, while warmly thanking the mayor who, he said,” turned his back and helped in a really very difficult situation. “
For his part, Mr. Zervas referred to the steps taken from the first day of taking office to modernize urban transport, in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and OASTH, and stressed that “today is the result of this difficult effort.”
“I want to believe that these buses are a relief, a breath of fresh air for the passengers, for the passengers of Thessaloniki. It is a difficult, daily race that we give together ”, said Zervas about the buses that were bought with money from the Leipzig municipality.
Today the first 4 vehicles of the total of 50 purchased for 11,000 euros each have been delivered and will be partially delivered by the Germans in December. During the inspection, Mr. Zervas presented to the Minister how to board and disembark people with disabilities in the new buses.
OASTH President George Skodras stated in his remarks that “today we are taking the last step to completely reverse the transport project in Thessaloniki, which had collapsed.” He also noted that all buses will be launched in the near future, both those rented and those that will arrive gradually from Leipzig. “As you can see, adding 230 buses to the fleet daily is not something that can be done in one day. Little by little, then, and by the end of the year, we will have exceeded 550 buses in the Peripheral Unit of Thessaloniki.” In 12 months we managed to put more than double the number of buses in circulation in addition to the one we received ”, he said characteristically.
Asked about the Agency’s income in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, he admitted that “effectively, they have been reduced to zero, they are minimal. Fortunately, we have the support of the Ministry of Transport, which covers operating costs and not only the loss of income but also how much money is needed each time ”.
Thessaloniki metro is on the move for the first time
At the same time, Costas Karamanlis had the opportunity to see the Thessaloniki metro trains in motion for the first time during his visit to the depot in the Pylaia area.
According to GRTimes.gr, the minister, accompanied by the president of Attiko Metro Nikos Tachiao and representatives of the company, was informed about the progress of the works and the progress of the project and saw closely the tests of the electromechanical equipment that include the movement train inside the station. .
As reported to the minister, the progress of the works remains within the schedules and if everything proceeds according to the program, it is not ruled out that by the end of the year tests will also be carried out in the tunnels. Currently, the schedule for the normal start of metro operation is still April 2023, so far no one has been able to estimate what will happen to the Venizelos station and appeal to the state council.
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