Thessaloniki’S METRO (Red Line) and Its Future Extensions

Home , Asprovalta, Kalamaria, Kalo Nero, Lechaina, Patras Bus Station, Thessaloniki Bus Station

Action 3.1: Mapping ongoing public and private investments

ACTION 3.1: MAPPING ONGOING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INVESTMENTS 1

1. INTRODUCTION 2

2. DESCRIPTION OF TRANSPORTATION SERVICES PROVIDED IN THE HUB 3

1.1 Transport services at urban / regional level and key actors in policy making and service provision 3 1.1.1 Transport services at national level and key actors in policy making and service provision 11 1.1.2 Transport services at transnational level and key actors in policy making and service provision 16

3. DESCRIPTION OF THE LEGAL BACKGROUND OF THE ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED IN TRANSPORT PROVISION 21

4. MAPPING OF ONGOING AND PLANNED INVESTMENTS 25

5. CONCLUSIONS 33

6. REFERENCES 36

LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Urban area served by OASTH...... 4

Figure 2: The basic axis of Thessaloniki’s METRO (red line) and its future extensions ...... 4

Figure 3: Suburban area served by OASTH ...... 5

Figure 4: Intermodal connectivity in Thessaloniki’s hub ...... 6

Figure 5: OASTH e- platform ...... 8

Figure 6: E-platform of Thessaloniki's Intelligent Urban Mobility Management System ...... 9

Figure 7: Services of Kalamaria’s Mobility Center ...... 10

Figure 8: Greek Railways ...... 12

Figure 9: Rail connection of Thessaloniki in previous years ...... 19

Figure 10: TRAINOSE e-platform ...... 20

1. Introduction The main scope of the current report is to map the ongoing and planned investments as regards the transportation system of Thessaloniki’s hub. The whole report follows a 3 level rational, thus it examines the transportation system at;

 Regional / local level (city hub integration)  National level (city hub accessibility)  Transnational level (city hub interconnectivity)

The report starts with a brief presentation of the transportation services provided in Thessaloniki’s hub and continues with a description of the legal background of the organizations involved in transport issues (policy makers, operators, managers, transport associations etc). This preliminary stage helps to create the profile of the hub and of the main actors involved in transport system, which will facilitate the understanding of the potential changes brought up by the future plans.

For the collection of the requested information HIT/CERTH implemented a series of interviews with key players and stakeholders of the under examination transport sector in Thessaloniki. Those interviews clarified and gave added value to the results of the bibliographic and internet search conducted at a former stage. In more details, HIT/CERTH implemented interviews with:

 The Manager of Thessaloniki Airport “Macedonia”, Mr. Achilleios Topouzas. Issues raised regarded the development plans of Thessaloniki’s Airport, the scheduled flights, the recent modifications in services provided and the airport – hub integration after the realization of Thessaloniki’s Metro. The threats along with the challenges deriving from the hard economic situation in Greece were also discussed with Mr. Topouzas.

 The Chairman of THEPTA, Thessaloniki's Integrated Transport Authority, Prof. Panagiotis Papaioannou for issues related to the responsibilities of the organization and for information on the legal status of OASTH, Organization of Urban Transportation of Thessaloniki and its investment plans. Mr. Papaioannou provided us also with his aspirations for the development of Single Metropolitan Transport Authority that will manage and organize all transport providers in Thessaloniki’s agglomeration. Through the interview key intentions for future cooperation among transport providers in Thessaloniki, after the realization of Thessaloniki’s Metro, on issues such as integrated ticketing, harmonized timetables and governance schemes derived.

 The President and CEO of TRAINOSE, the National Railway Provider, Prof. Ath. Ziliaskopoulos and with Mr. E. Katsaros, Safety, Security and Projects Special Adviser at TRAINOSE S.A for the future plans of the Organization.

The comparative assessment of the current (AS IS) situation in transport services provision in Thessaloniki’s hub with the ongoing investments is estimated to conclude to useful messages as regards the opportunities and threats in the future development of the hub. This Action seeks to find out whether the planned investments will upgrade city hub’s integration (at regional level), accessibility (at national level) and interconnectivity (at international level). Furthermore, Action 3.1 will act as a preliminary step before the formulation of the pilot activities of Thessaloniki’s hub in the framework of RAIL4SEE project. At the end of this report and after evaluating all data collected and after making a connection of the future investments with the 4 main pillars of RAIL4SEE (services projecting & management, governance in hubs development, financing of services and PTPs) and RAIL4SEE pilots (on integrated ticketing, 2

timetables harmonization and info provision), the study team will be able to answer up to which extent the mapped investments will contribute in the increase of rail’s competitiveness in Thessaloniki’s hub.

2. Description of transportation services provided in the hub Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece with a population of approximately 790.000 inhabitants in the urban area and almost 1.000.000 in the entire metropolitan area.

In the framework of Action 3.1 “Mapping ongoing investments” and for the purposes of RAIL4SEE project, Thessaloniki’s transportation system is examined at 3 levels as described above; urban/regional, national and transnational. In this chapter, HIT/CERTH aims to provide a brief but comprehensive picture of the transportation services offered in each of the 3abovementioned levels.

1.1 Transport services at urban / regional level and key actors in policy making and service provision The trips in Thessaloniki reach a maximum of 2.500.000 in a daily basis. As can be seen in the following chart, the private car ranks first in passengers’ choice with a percentage of 47.3% followed by Public Transport (35.95%), which in the case of Thessaloniki refers for the moment only to bus services, and leaving behind walking, motorcycles, taxi and bicycles with 9.72%, 3.53%, 2.88 and 0.62% percentages respectively.

Chart 1: Modal share for daily trips in Thessaloniki

OASTH, the Organization of Urban Transportation of Thessaloniki, is up to now the only PuT provider for the hub. O.A.S.TH serves both urban and regional transportation needs. The urban services, depicted in the following figure, cover almost the whole agglomeration with frequent lines.

Figure 1: Urban area served by OASTH

Within the next years the construction of Thessaloniki’s Metro is expected to be completed. The project will connect the Railway Station (located in the centre of Thessaloniki) to Nea Elvetia (at the Eastern site) via 13 modern center platform stations and 9.5 km of line. 18 ultra-automatic and state-of-the-art trains will operate on the line while two extensions are foreseen to be available to the passengers after 2017 (the first to Stavroupoli at the West Side of the city and the second to Kalamaria, an eastern suburb of Thessaloniki. The estimated demand after the completion of the extensions is approximately 250.000 passengers per day.

Figure 2: The basic axis of Thessaloniki’s METRO (red line) and its future extensions

As regards the suburban areas of Thessaloniki, those are also served by O.A.S.TH which operates approximately 16 main lines at the wider Region of Thessaloniki. The regional coverage is shown in Figure 3. 4

Figure 3: Suburban area served by OASTH

Regional transportation services are also provided by intercity buses. Intercity buses of Thessaloniki – Thessaloniki’s KTEL connect the city of Thessaloniki with major regional destinations (Stauros, Asprovalta, Vrasna, Olimpiada, Apolonnia located at the Eastern site of Thessaloniki’s prefecture).

Regional transport services are also offered by suburban railway. The suburban railway connects Thessaloniki to the neighboring Prefectures of Larissa (≈186km) and of Edessa (≈94km).

Table 1: Thessaloniki’s suburban railway Origin - Destination Basic characteristics

Thessaloniki – Larissa Electrified line

Distance: ≈186km

Frequency: 1-2 hours

Trip duration: ≈1h and 40min

Cost: 14€ (22.4 € retour)

13 trips / day (from Thessaloniki 5.30 to 22:00)

Thessaloniki – Edessa Distance: ≈94km

Frequency: 1-2 hours

Trip duration: ≈1h and 35min

Cost: 7€

11 trips / day (from Thessaloniki 4.30 to 22:00)

As regards intermodal connectivity inside Thessaloniki’s hub, this involves the connectivity among the Railway Station, Thessaloniki’s Airport and the Intercity Bus Station “Macedonia”.

Figure 4: Intermodal connectivity in Thessaloniki’s hub

Currently and as Thessaloniki’s Metropolitan Railway has not been completed yet, buses are the only PuT serving the terminals. Line 78 of OASTH connects the railway station with Macedonia Central Bus Station (intercity buses terminal) and Macedonia International Airport with a half an hour frequency.

After the completion of Thessaloniki’s Metropolitan Railway, the Railway Station will also be served by this mode. The Railway Station provides minimal parking space, although two new underground parking facilities, with four floors each

are currently under construction as part of the Thessaloniki Metro project. When completed, they will provide parking space for 450 and 600 cars respectively, with a total capacity of 1050 cars.

Approximately 20 bus lines serve Thessaloniki’s Railway Station (providing high frequency services). As shown in Figure 4, two bus lines (78 -78N and 45) connect directly the basic transport terminals, however, in every terminal (except airport that is served only by one line), passengers can be served via many different lines depending on their final destination (Table 2).

Table 2: Bus Lines serving Thessaloniki’s main terminals Terminals New Railway Station Intercity Buses, Terminal “Macedonia” International Airport of of Thessaloniki Thessaloniki, “Macedonia” Bus Lines  Urban Lines: 45,  Line 81 / every 1-2 hours (Koyfalia – Regional  Line 78 / every half serving the 45A, 45B, 78, 78N, trip, Western side of the Prefecture) an hour and during terminals / 2, 2A, 3, 9, 9A, 10,  Line 89A / every 40 min – 2 hours (Ksiroxwri - the night every one frequencies 11, 11B, 14, 17, Regional trip, Western side of the Prefecture) hour (Thessaloniki’s 19, 23, 56, 56A,  Line 89B / every 1 – 3,30 hours (Akropotamos - Airport, connecting 64, 64A, 54, 54A, Regional trip, Western side of the Prefecture) with Eastern side of  Regional lines: 71,  Line 52 / > 15min frequency (Serving Sindos area urban area) 71A, 70, 70A, 52 which is a trip attractor since the Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki is located Those bus lines there, regional trip) provide passengers  Line 80 / 45 min – 2 hours (Malgara, Regional from the urban and trip, Western side of the Prefecture) regional area of  Line 82 / 3 trips in the morning every 2 hours Thessaloniki’s hub. and 3 trips in the afternoon (Monolofos, Regional trip, Western side of the Prefecture) The average  Line 9 / > 15min frequency (Lachanagora, frequency for the Serving the urban area) urban services is  Line 1 / > 20 min frequency (N.Eukarpia, Serving approximately every the urban area) 15 minutes, while for  Line 8 / every 15 min (A.S. IKEA, connecting with the regional lines it Eastern side of urban area) fluctuates from 30  Line 12 / > 15min frequency (Toumpa, minutes to >2hours connecting with Eastern side of urban area) according to the  Line 31 / > 15min frequency (Boulgary, demand connecting with Eastern side of urban area)  Line 78 / every half an hour (Thessaloniki’s Airport, connecting with Eastern side of urban area)  Line 78 / every half an hour  Line 45, 45A, 45B / every half an hour  Line 9 / > 15min frequency  Line 52 / > 15min frequency  Line 78 / every half an hour

The intermodal connectivity in Thessaloniki’s hub is very high due to the frequent services offered by OASTH. However, as regards the Airport of Thessaloniki and according to the General Manager of it, OASTH should operate at least one more bus line that would serve transportation needs to Eastern side and to Chalcidice.

Information systems

As regards information provision to passengers travelling inside Thessaloniki’s hub the following services are currently available:

 E-platform of OASTH

OASTH offers through its webpage a series of information services to passengers that choose to use buses in their trips. These services are related to:

- Optimal routing (specifying starting and destination points) with buses of OASTH

- Information on bus routes, schedules, the service area, the area served and the stops

- Information about the arrival of a bus lines

- Presentation of the current location of buses (real time)

Figure 5: OASTH e- platform

 Thessaloniki's Intelligent Urban Mobility Management System

Thessaloniki's Intelligent Urban Mobility Management System is a unified effort of the key players of the city dealing with urban mobility, transport and environment. The system aims, through the services provided, to help citizens move around the city easily avoiding the traffic congested areas and also to raise the environmental public consciousness and 8

to promote public transportation and alternative ways of transport (walking, cycling). At the same time, through intelligent traffic management and control in the central area of Thessaloniki, the system aims to reduce the negative influence of the gaseous pollutants. The direct involvement of citizens in planning their trips will give them the right and the opportunity to actively contribute to the improvement of the environmental quality of the city. Finally, through special urban mobility training programs that the system provides, a new culture for urban mobility is formed in the city. The Intelligent system is divided into two separate service Centers which act complimentary and parallel:

 The Center for Urban Mobility  The Traffic Control Center

Figure 6: E-platform of Thessaloniki's Intelligent Urban Mobility Management System

The services provided refer to:

Category of services Specific services

Mobility Planning Services Car Routing: Private car routing based on the fastest or the shortest route. The total travel time is being estimated using real time traffic conditions of the road network of the city. Environmentally Friendly Routing: Provision of the route in which the traveler is less exposed to environmental pollutants using his private car and also the most fuel efficient route based on the minimization of the fuel consumption. Trip Routing using Public Transport Means: Provision of the most optimal route using the public transport means of the city of Thessaloniki. Combined Transport Routing: Provision of optimal routing combining the use of private car and Public Transport in different legs of the same trip. This service is dedicated for trips originated from outside areas of the Thessaloniki agglomeration region and ends at central urban areas. The final solutions consist of a car routing trip leg from trip origin to a bus terminal that provide parking slots and a public transport trip leg from the terminal

to the final destination. Pedestrian Routing: Routing based on the shortest and safest route for On foot trips. Traveller Information Traffic condition of the road network: Information related to the real time traffic Services condition of the road network and also estimation of the future traffic condition for the rest of a day. Public Transport Information: Information related to routes, timetables and stop areas of the public transport modes. Environmental Impact: Information about daily air quality (provided by Thessaloniki Municipality's Environmental Department) and real time environmental impact due to traffic condition of the road network. Points of Interest: Information on points of Interest of Thessaloniki's Agglomeration concerning tourism and everyday life of the city (sights, public services, sports facilities, etc). Mobility Awareness Services Getting familiar with Sustainable Urban Mobility (SUM): Acquaintance with the concept of Sustainable Mobility and promotion of the use of more Environmentally Friendly ways of travelling.

 Municipality of Kalamaria Mobilty Centre in Thessaloniki (Greece)

The first Mobility Center in Greece has been implemented at the Municipality of Kalamaria (Thessaloniki), by the Regional Energy Agency of Central Macedonia of ANATOLIKI S.A, with the collaboration of the Municipality of Kalamaria and the Council of Urban Transport Authorities of Thessaloniki.

At the heart of the Municipality of Kalamaria, in the metropolitan area of the city of Thessaloniki, the Mobility Center/ Info Point is located operating since July 2008. The site is kindly provided by the Municipality of Kalamaria. The Info Point distributes mobility information and offers personalized services to the citizens and visitors of Kalamaria.

Figure 7: Services of Kalamaria’s Mobility Center

The mobility center of Kalamaria and its webpage inform travelers in a daily basis as regards the following issues:

 Urban buses itineraries (OASTH)  Rail itineraries (ΤΡΑΙΝΟSΕ)  Intercity buses itineraries (ΚΤΕΛ)  Maritime tranportation  PuT transportation routing  Ticket stores  taxi info  PuT transportation of disabled people  Points of interest in Kalamaria and in Thessaloniki’s Agglomeration

Furthermore, from July 2009, passengers are provided with the opportunity to buy tickets for urban buses (OASTH) from the Mobility Center.

1.1.1 Transport services at national level and key actors in policy making and service provision As regards the national connectivity of Thessaloniki’s hub, the involved actors are railway operators, Intercity Bus providers and the Airport. Until 2008, the use of private cars was the first choice of the majority of travellers within Greece. However, the last five years a significant change in the interurban mobility patterns in the country was realized.

As regards national trips, according to the “MARKET AND SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS” conducted by CERTH/HIT for the Greek Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks (November 2011), the modal split along the Greek transport network studied is presented in Table 3.

Table 3: Modal split for the core Greek network (2010)

Mode % share

TRAINOSE 30,07%

KTEL 22,39%

IX 25,71%

AIR 21,82%

All modes, present a high decrease in passenger volumes starting the years 2007 and 2008 and leveling off in 2010. The decrease is sharper in the road traffic (totaling 60% in the period 2002 – 2010) and less so in the other modes: The reduction in the total number of the rail passengers during the last three years 2007 – 2010 is almost 30%, and for the buses in the same period a lot less (approximately 1.5 – 2 %). The main reasons for this decrease are the economic situation and the steep decrease in household income following the recession. For air transport there is an increase per year of the order of 8% until 2008 when it peaks off and then decreases sharply (almost 10% for 2009) before rebouncing slightly again (1%) between 2009 and 2010.

The main decrease is evident in private car road transport (private car traffic) followed by that in the railway traffic. Both trends seem to be continuing although with signs of leveling off in 2010. These outcomes show that the results of the economic crisis in Greece have become very visible in the transport sector since 2007 but that the modes react differently to it, with air and buses having the “best” performance in terms of the magnitude of their fluctuations.

 Railway network

Thessaloniki is the most important nodal point of the national railway network running through northern Greece. The region’s rail network runs from east to west connecting the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace with Western Macedonia; from the borders of Bulgaria and FYROM (Pan European Rail Corridor X) in the north; and to central Greece, Athens and the Peloponnese in the south, with the wider area of Thessaloniki being a main node in this network.

There are 530.3 km of rail lines in the region with 114 kms being double. Although the average density of railway lines for the region is high compared to the country average, this average is very low when compared to European standards, thus displaying low availability of railway infrastructure in general.

The main railway corridor is the one connecting Thessaloniki to Athens. In the past, international rail trips of the region were served via its northern border crossing to Bulgaria and FYROM and Turkey in the east. Currently, all the above mentioned rail connections have stopped. For the case of Thessaloniki – Sofia connection, TRAINOSE is operating a bus line once per day covering in this way transportation needs to the neighbouring country. However, during the next period, TRAINOSE will restart the operation of the rail service to Sofia and to Skopje, an action that will give rise to virtuous cycle in South East Railway use.

The Greek railway network covers the backbone of Greece connecting Patras – Athens – Thessaloniki – Eidomeni.

Figure 8: Greek Railways

The major lines of the Greek railway network consist of the mostly electrified standard gauge double track line from Piraeus-Athens to northern Greece-Thessaloniki, a single track electrified line from Thessaloniki to Idomeni (at the border with the Republic of Macedonia) and the mixed-gauge line from Athens to Peloponnese. Almost all other lines link directly with these two lines. The main line of the Greek Railway System from Athens to Thessaloniki, covers a distance of 520 kilometres (320 mi).

According to 2007 Network Statement, the total length of the standard gauge lines was approximately 1,665 kilometres (1,035 mi), while the length of the metre gauge lines (excluding Krioneri–Missolonghi–Agrinio line) is about 725 km (450 mi). In addition, about 150 km (93 mi) of new standard gauge lines towards Athens Airport and to replace metre gauge lines, became fully operational in July 2007.

The lines are:

1 Primary rail network

 Piraeus – Athens  Athens – Larissa – Thessaloniki  Athens – Corinth – Kiato  Thessaloniki – Idomeni

2 Secondary rail network

 Thessaloniki – Edessa – Amyntaio – Kozani / Florina  Thessaloniki – Alexandroupoli – Svilengrad  Lianokladi - Stylis

3 Thessaly Rail Network

 Larissa – Volos  Palaiofarsalos – Kalampaka

4 Peloponnese metre gauge network

 Athens – Corinth – Kiato (metre gauge)  Kiato – Patras  Patras – Lechaina – Pyrgos – Olympia  Pyrgos – Katakolo  Pyrgos – Kalo Nero – Kyparissia/Zevgolatio  Corinth – Argos – Nafplion – Tripoli – Kalamata  Messene – Kalamata

5 Other Lines

 Diakofto–Kalavryta Railway  Pelion Railway Line  Athens – Airport Line [11]

 Intercity Buses services

Thessaloniki’s KTEL (intercity buses) connects the hub with almost all other Greek Prefectures. Furthermore, KTEL from other Prefectures also transport passengers to Thessaloniki’s hub.

 Thessaloniki’s Airport

International Airport “Macedonia” (SKG Airport) is located 13 km far from Thessaloniki city center, in the area of Mikra, and operates since 1930. Its plant (1 passenger terminal, 1 cargo terminal, 1 Fire fighting Station, aerodrome fire protection category: 8, 22 aircraft parking positions, General Aviation - 9 aircraft parking positions, aviation club - aircraft parking area) covers 21000 square meters of surface. [12]

Today, the national flights from Thessaloniki’s Airport reach Athens, Kalamata (Peloponnesus) and major islands (e.g. Kerkyra, Crete, Mykonos, Skiathos, Thira, Samos, Mytiline, Chios). The respective airlines activated in Thessaloniki’s Airport and the scheduled flights they offer are presented in the following table (Table 4).

Table 4: Scheduled domestic flights from Thessaloniki’s Airport Airlines All year Seasonal Aegean

Airlines Athens, Chania, Heraklion, Mytilene Mykonos, Santorini, Kerkyra, Samos

Astra Airlines Athens, Chios, Corfu , Kalamata, Samos, Sitia Chania, Karpathos, Mykonos, Santorini, Zakynthos Cyprus

Airways Athens, Heraklion, Rhodes

Olympic Air Athens, Chania, Heraklion, Mytilene Mykonos, Santorini, Skiathos

Sky Express Ikaria, Lemnos, Skyros

The largest part of the domestic flights concerns the trip Thessaloniki – Athens. From Thessaloniki’s Airport there are 10 - 15 direct flights to Athens daily and the passenger volume for 2010 reaches the 600.000 (Table 5).

Table 5: Passenger volume Thessaloniki – Athens by air, 2010 Athens Thessaloniki

Athens 609.505

Thessaloniki 587.821

PASSENGER DOMESTIC MOVEMENT

1.800.000

1.600.000

1.400.000

1.200.000

1.000.000

800.000

600.000

400.000

200.000

PAX ARRIVALS PAX DEPARTURES

Chart 2: Passenger domestic movement, Thessaloniki’s Airport

According to the statistical data provided by the Civil Aviation Authority, the number of domestic passengers for year 2011 presented a reduction of approximately 9% from the previous year.

Table 6: Internal traffic, Thessaloniki’s Airport Internal traffic

Passengers

2011 Flights Arrivals Departures

712.390 775.582 20.585

Cyprus Airways and Aegean Airlines have increased their flights in 2012. However, the total domestic traffic seems to further decrease.

Table 7: Domestic traffic, Thessaloniki’s Airport Domestic traffic (passengers)

2011 (8months) 2012 (8months) difference

530.611 474.380 -56.231

1.1.2 Transport services at transnational level and key actors in policy making and service provision

As regards the transnational connectivity of Thessaloniki’s hub, except road transportation, travellers have the alternatives of air and rail transportation.

 Intercity Buses, terminal “Macedonia” to Sofia/Bulgaria

Two itineraries from Thessaloniki per day transport passengers from Thessaloniki’s C.A. to Sofia.

 Air international transportation

According to the statistical data provided by the Civil Aviation Authority, the number of international passengers for year 2011 presented an increase of approximately 9,94% from the previous year. The entrance of the low cost airline “Ryanair” played a catalytic role in this increase; in only nine months (April 2011 – December 2011), Ryanair transported 200.000 passengers. Aegean Airlines (with a new flight to Israel) and Turkish Airlines (that started the flight Istanbul - Thessaloniki) helped significantly the increase in international passengers arriving in the hub.

Table 8: International traffic, Thessaloniki’s Airport International traffic

Passengers

2011 Flights Arrivals Departures

1.251.433 1.219.070 22.845

PASSENGER INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT

3.000.000

2.500.000

2.000.000

1.500.000

1.000.000

500.000

1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010

PAX ARRIVALS PAX DEPARTURES

Chart 3: Passenger International Movement, Thessaloniki’s Airport

The international scheduled flights of the airlines that are currently activated in Thessaloniki’s Airport are summarized in the following table (Table 9):

Table 9: Scheduled international flights from Thessaloniki’s Airport Airlines All year Seasonal Nizhny Novgorod, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Larnaca, Moscow- Perm, Rostov-on-Don, Saint Petersburg,Tel

Aegean Airlines Domodedovo, Munich, Stuttgart Aviv-Ben Gurion, Yekaterinburg, Cologne Berlin-Tegel, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Munich,

Air Berlin Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Hanover

Alitalia Rome-Fiumicino Donetsk, Kazan, Kharkiv,Lviv, Moscow- Domodedovo, Munich, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Nuremberg, Omsk, Perm, Saint Petersburg-Pulkovo,Saratov, Tyumen,

Astra Airlines Kiev-Boryspil, Rostov-on-Don Volgograd, Voronezh, Yekaterinburg

Austrian Airlines Vienna

British Airways London-Gatwick

Cyprus Airways Larnaca

EasyJet Berlin-Schönefeld, London-Gatwick Milan-Malpensa 17

Airlines All year Seasonal

EasyJet Switzerland Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg

Germania Bremen, Munich, Hanover

Germanwings Cologne/Bonn, Stuttgart

Jat Airways Belgrade

Jetairfly Brussels Rossiya Saint Petersburg-Pulkovo Brussels South-Charleroi, Budapest, London-Stansted, Milan-Orio al Serio, Bologna, Girona, Hahn, Karlsruhe/Baden-

Ryanair Paphos, Rome-Ciampino Baden, Oslo-Rygge, Stockholm-Skavsta, Weeze

Sky Work Airlines Bern

SmartWings Ostrava, Prague

TAROM Bucharest-Henri Coandă

Turkish Airlines Istanbul-Atatürk

Ural Airlines Yekaterinburg

UTair Aviation Moscow-Vnukovo

VIM Airlines Moscow-Domodedovo

Ryanair, from October 2012 stoped serving 7 out of its initial 13 destinations from Thessaloniki. Furthermore, SWISS after 32 years decided to stop the flight Thessaloniki – Zurich although presenting over 85% fullness per flight. Alitalia stops also the Thessaloniki – Rome flight and British Airlines Thessaloniki – London (Gatwick) with a view to reoperate those flights during the summer. Austrian has also decreased the number of schedules flights to Vienna, CSA has stopped flights to Budapest and Olympic Air to Tirana. Finally, Easy jet stops also the flights to Dortmund. Those changes may hardly affect Thessaloniki’s Airport profile and total throughput. From the other side, those new circumstances pose new challenges for Greek Railway –the opening in Balkans with the planned rail connections to Sofia and Skopje seems as a crucial and essential investment.

 Rail international transportation

In the past, OSE, the Hellenic Railways, was operating regular rail connections to Skopje, Sofja and Istanbul.

Figure 9: Rail connection of Thessaloniki in previous years

Nowadays, TRAINOSE operates an International bus lane connecting Thessaloniki – Sofia. Furthermore, only recently, and for the summer period, TRAINOSE, operated the connection between Thessaloniki and Skopje. However in the short term plans of TRAINOSE (in spring 2013) is the re-operation of the rail connection between Thessaloniki – Sofia (and Thessaloniki – Sofia – Plovdiv) and also Thessaloniki - Skopje.

Table 10: Passenger Traffic / Rail Entrance

Frontier Points (main origin countries) 2008 2009 % 2009/2008 2010 % 2010/2009

Kulata (Bulgary/ Romania / Russia) 70.539 66.463 -6 56.549 -15

Svilengrad (Bulgary) 5.409 -100 1.224

Puthio (Τurkey) 17.919 16.354 -9 10.118 -38

Gevgelija (Skopje / Serbia / Hungary) 41.397 40.413 -2 42.550 5

Patras (Italy) 8.255 7.216 -13 0 -100

TOTAL 143.519 130.446 -9 110.441 -15

Exit

Frontier Points (main destination countries) 2008 2009 % 2009/2008 2010 % 2010/2009

Kulata (Bulgary/ Romania / Russia) 75.045 70.196 -6 61.029 -13

Svilengrad (Bulgary) 6.209 -100 1.734

Puthio (Τurkey) 18.423 15.493 -16 9.326 -40

Gevgelija (Skopje / Serbia / Hungary) 41.189 41.454 1 41.313 0

Patras (Italy) 7.601 6.319 -17 0 -100

TOTAL 148.467 133.462 -10 113.402 -15

Entrance + Exit

Frontier Points 2008 2009 % 2009/2008 2010 % 2010/2009

Kulata (Bulgary/ Romania / Russia) 145.584 136.660 -6 117.578 -14

Svilengrad (Bulgary) 11.618 -100 2.958

Puthio (Τurkey) 36.342 31.847 -12 19.444 -39

Gevgelija (Skopje / Serbia / Hungary) 82.586 81.867 -1 83.863 2

Patras (Italy) 15.856 13.535 -15 0 -100

TOTAL 291.986 263.909 -10 223.843 -15

The previous table is indicative of the fact that the rail connection Thessaloniki – Sofia was presenting an important demand.

Information systems

TRAINOSE, through its webpage, offers the opportunity to passengers to get informed about rail itineraries and also to buy their ticket.

Figure 10: TRAINOSE e-platform

3. Description of the legal background of the organizations involved in transport provision

The following table summarizes the involved actors in transport provision and services monitoring in Thessaloniki’s hub at all 3 levels (urban/regional, national and transnational). The brief reference to the legal and institutional profile of the organizations involved in transport issues (policy makers, operators, managers, transport associations etc) as regards Thessaloniki’s hub is considered as prerequisite for the better understanding of the relations among actors and the financial and managerial schemes established.

Table 11: Bodies involved in PuT provision in Thessaloniki’s hub Level Bodies involved Urban / Regional Providers:  OASTH - Organization of Urban Transportation of Thessaloniki  Municipal transportation  OSE – National Railways  Intercity Buses  Thessaloniki’s Metro – after the completion of its construction Relative monitoring and management bodies  Government and respective Ministries and Authorities o Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks o Civil Aviation Authority o THEPTA - Thessaloniki's Integrated Transport Authority National Providers:  OSE – National Railways  Intercity Buses  Thessaloniki Airport “Macedonia” Relative monitoring and management bodies  Government and respective Ministries and Authorities o Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks o Civil Aviation Authority Transnational Providers:  OSE – National Railways  Intercity Buses  Thessaloniki Airport “Macedonia” Relative monitoring and management bodies  Government and respective Ministries and Authorities o Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport

and Networks o Civil Aviation Authority

A) Policy makers and monitoring Authorities

 Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks

The Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks is the main policy maker in Greece as regards transportation field. Among its other missions are:

o planning and implementation of national policy and creation of the appropriate institutional framework at European and international level for the development of top quality transport services under conditions of healthy competition; o guarantee of the safety of transport o promotion of the Information Society; o contribution to the economic development and to the improvement of its citizens quality of life in the areas falling under the Ministry’s responsibility.

 Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority

All Greek Airports operate under the control of the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority. The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is a Civil Service under the Ministry of Transport and Communications, directed by its Governor and Deputy Governors. Its mission is the organization, development and control of the country`s air transport infrastructure, as well as the study an laying of proposals to the Minister of Transport and Communications concerning the overall policy formulation in air transport.

 THEPTA - Thessaloniki's Integrated Transport Authority

The body that monitors the PuT provision in Thessaloniki is THEPTA, Thessaloniki's Integrated Transport Authority. THEPTA is a decentralized public authority created in 2001 (Law 2898/2001) and is supervised by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks. It has the responsibility for decision making on matters relating to public passenger transport and the transport system in general at the geographical area of the Regional Unit of Thessaloniki.

THEPTA is governed by a council of eleven members appointed by the Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks, for a term of three years.

Its members represent:

 Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks (Chairman),  Ministry of Finance,  General Secretariat of Macedonia – Thrace Regions,  Regional Authority of Central Macedonia,  Local Authorities,  Decentralized authority of Central Macedonia and Thrace,  Dean of the Engineering faculty of the University of Thessaloniki,  General Police Headquarters of Thessaloniki and the Labour Center of Thessaloniki.

The chairman of the Board and a representative of the employees of OASTH can be present in THEPTA’s council meetings without holding a voting right. Representatives from various other stakeholders in Thessaloniki may be also invited to participate without voting rights.

The council members have independence of political expression and individual responsibility, but the Council is a collective governing body with its own regulation. Through consensus among the members and with the involvement of local stakeholders, THEPTA ensures a reliable and efficient transport policy. Today THEPTA envisions and prepares its transformation into a single Transport and Mobility authority along the lines of other European Transport Authorities. [8]

B) Transport Providers

 OASTH - Organization of Urban Transportation of Thessaloniki

O.A.S.TH. is a legal entity with private interest which was founded on 1957 with a government decree and serves as the public carrier in the province of Thessaloniki assisted with concession agreements (financial concessions) that are signed between the Greek government and the body. O.A.S.TH.’s capital is divided in 415 shares, 346 of which are distributed among 1900 small bus owners, 26 are owned by K.T.E.L., 22 owned by the O.A.S.TH. workers cooperation and 21 owned by the O.A.S.TH. legal entity. Its employees reach the 2600. Passengers travel in 75 bus routes, using 530 buses of the 600 serviceable buses owned by O.A.S.TH. and carries 180.000.000 passengers per year. As regards the handicapped people, the organization is applying a special program for free transportation for and on a yearly basis it assists with transport 12.000 handicapped persons (with wheelchairs or other movement impairments) using 4 buses (3 on duty and 1 on standby) especially designed for such duties. Concerning IT systems, the Organization has installed satellite surveillance devices on all busses for their tracking and optimum bus circulation management. This system also informs the passenger on board with audio and visual announcements of the next bus stop as well as display the arrival times on 200 “smart” bus stops. Lastly, from its fleet (604 buses), 329 are standard size (2 axel units), 249 articulated units, 22 small size and 4 especially designed for transportation of handicapped people. [7]

 Municipal trnaportation

After a decision taken by THEPA, Thessaloniki's Integrated Transport Authority, in Thessaloniki’s agglomeration 5 Municipals operate free of charge public transportation that covers local needs (Municipals; Euosmos, Echedorou, Neapolis, Pylaia, Kalamaria).

 Intercity buses, KTEL Companies

In Greece, each city has its own KTEL Company that operates buses to major destinations. Today there are 62 KTEL Companies, with a fleet of 4,199 buses, which conduct 80% of all passenger transportation. Intercity KTEL Buses have always been the umbilical cord that connects the small and distant regions and villages of Greece to the larger cities and capitals of each Prefecture. The routes and frequencies are decided and organized by decision of the Prefect. This results many times, in the KTEL Companies having to operate on routes with very few passengers, under difficult conditions and with almost no profit.[9] From the other side, the tariffs are decided via Ministerial Decrees according to 23

kilometers coefficients. The respective Company for Thessaloniki is Intercity Buses “Macedonia”. KTEL Companies changed their legal status and became Anonymous Companies (S.A.) under law 2963/2001.

 OSE, Hellenic Railways Organisation

Although the deregulation is applied in Greek case as regards rail services, so far TRAINOSE S.A. is the only rail transportation services actor, both at passenger and freight fields.

The Hellenic Railways Organisation, OSE, is the Greek national railway company which owns, maintains and operates all railway infrastructures and rolling stock in Greece with the exception of Athens' rapid transit METRO lines. OSE is a modern Group of companies for the supply of services of railway transport which serves the public interest. Train services on Greek lines are offered by TrainOSE S.A., a former OSE subsidiary, now an independent company. In addition OSE owns and maintains the rolling stock being used by TrainOSE and maintains preserved special rolling stock, withdrawn locomotives and railcars. GAIOSE, the other OSE subsidiary, is responsible for real estate exploitation of the company. The abovementioned structure meets the requirements of EU directives (railway packages) for the existence of separated companies that deal with rail infrastructure from the one hand and rail operations from the other.

OSE was founded in 1970, as a Group of Companies which is fully owned by the Greek State, taking over from the Hellenic State Railways, which was founded in 1920. It operates with administrative, legal and financial autonomy and under the State supervision.

As in most European Union countries, administration of the railway infrastructure is separate from the railway operating companies using the network to provide passenger and freight transportation services. Up until November 2010, company EDISY S.A. was the actual manager of the Greek national railway infrastructure until it became a subsidiary of OSE. Specifically on 29 November 2010 EDISY S.A. was merged back into the parent company OSE S.A., which is today the manager of the rail infrastructure of Greece.

Funding of investment in railway infrastructures in Greece is made by private-law financing contracts, concluded between public authorities (Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks) and railway infrastructure provider (ERGOSE or in case of other actors entering into competition with all them as well).

Railway services are provided following the obligations referred in the contracts between public authorities (Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks) and railway services provider (TRAINOSE or in case of other actors entering into competition with all them as well).

 International Airport of Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki International Airport "Macedonia" formerly known as Mikra Airport and officially known as Macedonia International Airport operates under the control of the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority.

4. Mapping of ongoing and planned investments Table 12: Mapping of the ongoing and planned investments in Thessaloniki’s hub Investments category Ongoing and planned Investment Description* (in relation to the pillars) Estimated cost Estimated Start (infrastructure, Terminal Service projecting & Governance (e.g. timetables Public Transport End date effect on the (investments that contribute to the Financing of date management, management (e.g. harmonization, ticketing Partnerships Other demand improvement of) services information systems…) integration…) (PTPs) operation)

Rail Extension of the “e- Public The re- Spring network ticketing” system at the establishment of rail 2013 connection Thessaloniki – connection between Sofia (from May 2013) Thessaloniki and Sofia

Public The re- Spring establishment of rail 2013 connection between Thessaloniki and Skopje

NSRF (National Thessaloniki – 2013 2015 80 mil. €

Strategic Reference border crossing with Framework) Bulgaria

The project includes the installation of

national level national electrification along

Trans the axis of Thessaloniki - City Hub INTERCONNECTIVITY City Hub Strymon - Rampart, length 143 km, the execution of localized interventions for improving the line and stations of the section and secure storage with automatic level crossing the line.

Investments category Ongoing and planned Investment Description* (in relation to the pillars) Estimated cost Estimated Start (infrastructure, Terminal Service projecting & Governance (e.g. timetables Public Transport End date effect on the (investments that contribute to the Financing of date management, management (e.g. harmonization, ticketing Partnerships Other demand improvement of) services operation) information systems…) integration…) (PTPs)

Operational Thessaloniki – 2006 2015 105,2 mil. € The project Programme border crossing with aims to "Improvement of FYROM upgrade the Accessibility 2007- operating line 2013" (rail station To project includes Thessaloniki- the construction of a Zefyriou) Idomeni, new variant in which is one Regional Section Polykastro- of the main Operational Idomeni length of 21 cross-border Programme km around the line links between Thessaloniki- our country Idomeni with and the rest of signaling Europe. The telecommanding, project aims telecommunications to reduce and electrification. travel time, improve safety and comfort for passengers.

Air public Extension of the At the network runway 10-28, that end of would serve all types 2013 / at of aircrafts the beginning of 2014

Rail Internet provision on trains July 2013

network that operate on the rail lane Athens - Thessaloniki

Cohesion Funding Athens Suburban 1998 2012 620 mil. € The 2000-2006 Railway modernization (substructure, of the

National level National superstructure, New double rail line network from Athens (Ska) to Kiato City Hub ACCESSIBILITY City Hub telecommanding- Athens to signaling, (Corinthia, Kiato,

telecommunications Peloponnese) – 105 connecting line) km (electrified, with main rail telecommanding backbone Operational and with the rest Programme telecommunications) rail network "Improvement of to Patras. Accessibility 2007- Improvement 2013" (rail station of the direct Zefyriou) link between Regional Greece and Operational the European Programme of Union through Attica 2007-2013 Italy (for electric line) (improving intermodal transport) and shift of traffic volumes from road to rail thereby relieving road network, reducing energy consumption and environmental pollution.

3rd Community Athens Suburban 2002 2012 171 mil. € The project is Support Railway from the 3rd part of a Framework, Community wider project National Resources , To project includes Support for the the construction of NSRF (National Framework , construction Strategic Reference quad rail corridor 95 mil. € from of suburban length of Framework) NSRF (National Athens. approximately 5 km, Strategic the section from the

Three Bridges Reference (Athens) to the Framework), transportation 187 mil. € center Acharnon from National (SKA), with reminder Resources telecommanding, telecommunications and electrification.

Operational Athens Suburban 2005 2015 200 mil. € The project Programme Railway aims to "Improvement of modernize the Accessibility 2007- To work includes the rail corridor 2013" (rail station upgrading of the Piraeus - double / triple rail Zefyriou) Three Bridges, corridor Piraeus - helping to Regional Athens - Three increase its Operational Bridges capacity, that Programme of approximately 13.5 can serve Attica 2007-2013 km in length, railway both (for electric line) stations of the suburban and division (including long-distance the main railway transport station of Athens) movement. and installation of modern signaling system, telecommanding, telecommunications and electrification.

Operational The construction of 1997 2015 Approximately 160-200 Programme New Railway Line 1,5 bil. €, from km/hour -> "Improvement of Dual High Speed which 0,7 bil. modernization Accessibility 2007- Tithorea - Lianokladi € are from στο of the basic

2013", 2nd - Domokos replacing NSRF (National line Athens - Community Support the mountainous Strategic Thessaloniki Framework, NSRF part of the existing Reference

(National Strategic single line length Framework) Reference 122 km with New Framework) Dual High Speed Railway Line length 106 km.

Athens – 25 mil. € Thessaloniki (the backbone of national railway) is divided in 3 parts; Athens – Tithorea, Tithorea – Domokos, Domokos – Thessaloniki. The last part presents electrification and is a double rail line, the electrification of the second part is refered previously and the first part (Athens – Tithorea) is planned to be electrified and double line however the auctioning has not started yet.

Rail European The completion of 2006 2016 550.000.000 € 250.000

network Investment Bank Thessaloniki’s Metro from the passengers /

Community Support European day will be Frameworks Investment served Bank as approved loan with favorable conditions and

Regional / Local level Local / Regional City Hub INTEGRATION City Hub 250.000.000 € from the third 29

Community Support Framework. The total budget is 1.052.000 €.

Funding also from the fourth Community Support Framework (425.000.000 €) for metro’s extension to Eastern side of Thessaloniki (Kalamaria).

The establishment of a rail line that will serve the western side of Thessaloniki, bypassing the Central Railway Station and through a stop at the center of the city (near the port) will continue as suburban line to Larissa

Integrated e-ticket for urban Yes ( urban and and suburban rail and urban / suburban rail regional buses and urban / regional buses)

1.2 32

5. Conclusions

Concluding this report on mapping the ongoing and planned investments in Thessaloniki’s hub the following key messages derived:

 Currently, the Public Transport services provided in Thessaloniki’s hub refer only to bus services. No other means of PuT exist, however, in few years, Thessaloniki’s METRO will start operating. This is considered as a very crucial milestone; the coexistence of the two means should be based on good cooperation and on coordinated actions among transport providers (integrated ticketing, harmonized timetables, optimum route services, common information strategies etc). THEPA, Thessaloniki's Integrated Transport Authority should play a catalytic role in the coordination of services, acting as a monitoring and managing Authority and as an effective mediator guaranteeing the provision of high quality transportation services to passengers. In view of the new challenges deriving from the completion and operation of Metro system, the urban extension of Thessaloniki, the dynamically changing city environment and other potential transport systems (tram and sea transportation), THEPTA should be transformed into an Integrated Transport and Mobility Authority. This Authority will be responsible also for the promotion of issues such as integrated ticketing, harmonized timetables and common information campaigns.

 As it is obvious from Table 12 “Mapping of the ongoing investments”, currently there are many investments oriented towards railway improvement in Thessaloniki and in Greece.

 At urban level, the completion of Thessaloniki’s METRO and the extension of the suburban railway Larissa – Thessaloniki from the Central Railway Station to the Thessaloniki’s Port Passenger Terminal (thus, to the city center) serving also via intermediate stations the Western Side of Thessaloniki (every 90min) open new challenges for Thessaloniki. The urban and regional railway gains dynamic and starts playing pivot role in passengers’ modal choice.

 At national level, rail investments concern the modernization and the completion of the weak points in the main backbone connecting Patras – Athens – Thessaloniki up to the borders with FYROM and Bulgaria. The completion of all those investments will undoubtedly upgrade the rail use in Greece and will create a strong profile of the railway in passengers’ perception.

 At transnational level, the re-establishment of the railway lanes connecting Thessaloniki to Sofia and Thessaloniki to Skopje will open the way to the use of international railway use and will act as a gateway to the rest Europe. The completion and modernization of Thessaloniki – border crossing to FYROM and Bulgaria (although reported as investments that will enhance the rail use at national level) are necessary preliminary steps towards the opening of new connections with SEE.

Rail connectivity in all three levels (regional, national, transnational) seems to be of high priority for Thessaloniki’s hub. The abovementioned investments at all three levels will undoubtedly improve the competitiveness of rail both inside Greece and in SEE and are considered crucial for the development of a

modern and efficient network in Greece. The viability of the investments is however difficult to be estimated. The financial crisis in Greece has resulted in the limitation of private car use. This can be seen as an opportunity for public means of transport to capture a large proportion of trips to be made anyway. Under this spectrum, the investments could be viable. Also after the crisis period and provided that a PuT culture will have been created, the use of rail will continue.

 Investments are planned also for rail cargo transportation; for example after December 2012, TRAINOSE is planning to provide “e-ticketing” for cargo transportation while by February 2013 cargo tracking will be available. Although those investments refer to cargo transportation it is obvious that TRAINOSE is entering into a new era.

 Investments in road and air transport networks seem not to be a priority for Greece. As regards road investments, this is mainly due to the already high developed network that covers almost the whole territory and due to the existence of frequent bus services connecting all Greek prefectures. In the case of air transportation, investments at Thessaloniki’s Airport, as part of a comprehensive masterplan released by the government in 2002, several projects have been started to improve Macedonia International Airport. The majority of those projects have been implemented. The last two investments are the expansion of existing runway 10/28 and the construction of a new larger terminal. The first is estimated to be completed by the beginning of 2014 whereas the second one has not started yet and its future is cloudy due to the hard economic situation plaguing Greece. Furthermore, the decision of large airlines to stop their services from Thessaloniki further aggravates the air sector in the hub. The last fact can be seen as an opportunity for the railway which is now called to serve those passengers that were previously using Thessaloniki’s Airport for their travel in SEE.

 Thessaloniki can and must be a strong railway hub in SEE and the investments are in line with city’s individual expectations for the future. Other than plans and initiatives, the existence of a strong political will and a coherent policy action plan focused on the strengthening and the improvement of transnational rail connections are prerequisite towards the achievement of this goal. The realization of the opportunities deriving from a better rail connection in SEE can give impulse to the formation of a strong promotion strategy.

 The ongoing investments should be combined with complementary measures able to enhance the coordination among public means of transport in all three levels (regional, national, transnational). In the framework of Rail4See, Greek partners will examine possible ways to offer services of high quality to passengers in Thessaloniki’s hub (better services on terminals, harmonized rail timetables at regional and transnational level, integrated ticketing at urban level, better info provision to passengers). Concluding, Rail4See project offers to Greek Partners the opportunity to study in depth and deal with issues that will strengthen rail use in Thessaloniki’s hub through a series of actions:

o Via the conduction of early surveys on users (Action 2.4), expected to be completed by the end of January 2013, Greek Partners will find out whether there is a real need for the entry of TRAINOSE in transnational rail connections (Trainose as mentioned in Table 1Table 12 is going to re-establish the rail connections among Thessaloniki – Sofia and Thessaloniki – Skopje in the Spring of 2013). The feasibility and viability of the new connections will be examined and complementary measures for reinforcing the demand of the services will be proposed.

o The “Users info” pilot in the case of Thessaloniki’s hub will deal with the integration of the already existing e-platforms of Thessaloniki’s Agglomeration (“Thessaloniki's Intelligent Urban Mobility Management System” which aims to help citizens move around the city easily avoiding traffic congested areas, to raise the environmental public consciousness, to promote public transportation and alternative ways of transport and to contribute in Thessaloniki’s sustainable development) and of TRAINOSE’s information system. The possibility of integration of other services (urban/regional/national trip planners application - real-time traffic system, integrated info panels & detailed web custom, info on rail & multimodal transport opportunities, best routing, journey planning -also on trip) that facilitate passengers’ transportation will also be examined. As regards non ICT information provision, Rail4See will focus on the provision of papery info with specific images to help passengers familiarize with the future metropolitan railway system. The provision of informational material also aim to help passengers understand how they can easily transfer from the bus feeding lines to Thessaloniki’s Metro and the opposite. Through the provision of information material is also aimed to promote the new transnational rail connections. o The examination of new governance and cooperation schemes (along with the establishment of PTPs) for funding and monitoring the progress of the electronic Public Transport ticketing of Thessaloniki metropolitan area will be realized in the framework of Action 5.4 (“Pilot activity on integrated ticketing”). Through the implementation of Round Tables with Stakeholders it is expected that initial agreements, as regards ticket integration, among transport providers in Thessaloniki’s hub will be achieved. In the framework of the same Action, the feasibility study for integrated ticketing of the planned transnational cross border rail services will also be examined. o Timetables harmonization among urban and regional rail connections is another issue expected to be studied in the framework of Action 5.2. The re-establishment of rail connections among Thessaloniki – Bulgaria and Thessaloniki – FYROM poses also the need to examine timetables harmonization among national and transnational services. o A feasibility study for new urban and regional rail service introduction will be another focus of Greek Partners (Action 5.3). The new urban rail services concerns the development of a tram line serving the centre of Thessaloniki and the better connection among terminals in Thessaloniki’s hub (e.g. currently only one bus line serves Thessaloniki’s Airport. This line – No78 –is also the only one that directly connects the three main terminals of the hub – Airport, Railway Station and Intercity Buses Terminal) while the regional service concerns the proposed rail service of TRAINOSE that will connect Larissa to Western Thessaloniki and to the city centre.

6. REFERENCES

7. Website of O.A.S.TH, http://www.oasth.gr

8. Website of THEPA, http://www.THEPTA.gov.gr

9. Website: http://ktelbus.com/?module=default&pages_id=7&lang=en

10. “Legal framework for passengers transportation”, Greece

11. Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenic_Railways_Organisation

12. Website: http://www.hcaa.gr/content/index.asp?tid=178&lang=2