With a strategic agreement closed in Rome, the Greek government secured immediate Italian investments of 360 million euros for the Modernization of the Greek Railway. The agreement, which is a product of negotiation between Athens and the Italian Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane – a parent company of the Hellenic Train – includes the supply of new trains and the creation of modern trains.
According to government sources, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis himself raised the issue of the safety and modernization of the railway as a priority with a horizon in 2027, paving the way for the 2017 contract renegotiation with the Italian side. Despite initial reservations, the Italians agreed to fund a program that includes the purchase of 23 new train (8 intercity and 15 suburban), which will have all the necessary security systems.
This is the first supply of new trains for the suburban since its inception in 2004, while the new trains will replace the outdated “silver arrows”, which had been introduced in the country.
The second part of the agreement provides for the creation of modern train stations for the long -term maintenance of new trains, an intervention critical to upgrading the network’s credibility.
Arson attack on the apartment building that the former president of EPANAAM resides in Kolonaki
An important role in reaching the agreement is said to have been played by the recent visit of Deputy Minister of Transport Konstantinos Kiranakis to Rome, where he met with the Italian Vice President of the Government and Matthew Salvini’s transport responsible. As he himself points out:
“The Italians are investing, we work hard and we build a rail that deserves the citizens. New trains, new infrastructure, new page for the country. “
The agreement was sealed at the highest level, at the meeting of Prime Minister Mitsotakis with his Italian counterpart George Meloni, confirming the will of both sides for closer cooperation on strategic infrastructure.