Press release
Athens, 23 November 2021
A new era for the Greek railway – the first phase of the Competitive Dialogue Tender for the 6 key projects of €4 billion budget begins
Athens, 23 November 2021 – Greek Railways enters a new era today, as the tender for 6 flagship projects with a total budget of €4 billion was launched through the Competitive Dialogue procedure.
Specifically, the Board of Directors of ERGOSE, at yesterday’s meeting approved the tender documents for expressions of interest, essentially setting in motion the first phase of the tender for the largest package of railway projects in the country’s history.
These are the following projects:
- Upgrading of the existing railway line with doubling and installation of signalling – ETCS and electrification of the railway line on the Alexandroupoli – Ormenio section with a budget of €1.07 billion
- Construction of a new railway line from Thessaloniki to Toxotes with a budget of €1.68 billion
- Railway connection of the 6th pier of the port of Thessaloniki & construction of the suburban railway of Western Thessaloniki with a budget of € 53.4 million
- Construction of a new suburban railway line from the Koropi junction to Lavrio and the port of Lavrio with a budget of €390.5 million
- Construction of a new suburban railway line to connect Rafina and the port of Rafina with the existing railway network with a budget of €308.6 million
- Completion of the new double railway line Kiato – Patras on the Rio – new port of Patras section with a budget of €476.5 million
It should be noted that all projects will be tendered with all their sub-projects (infrastructure, superstructure, electrification and systems), so that they will be immediately operational upon delivery for use.
For ERGOSE, the implementation of these 6 key projects is a priority of strategic importance, as they will contribute decisively to the achievement of the ultimate goal of making our country a regional “hub” in the logistics sector in the wider Balkan region and Southeastern Europe.
All the projects of the Competitive Dialogue link the country’s major ports to the rail network and strengthen the cross-border rail connection with the rest of South-Eastern Europe, which is very important for the country and Europe.
These projects will act as an economic multiplier for the country, right from the construction phase, as they will provide a boost to the construction sector, which has historically acted as a driver of growth, while strengthening local communities.
Through a series of immediate actions and a complete restructuring of processes in full cooperation with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, ERGOSE, since 2019, has accelerated the procedures in order to mature the conditions for the tender of these six strategically important projects, through the Competitive Dialogue. From the beginning, it was believed that the Competitive Dialogue was the best tender procedure and the most appropriate tendering tool provided by public procurement legislation for these projects, given their complexity. Throughout the previous period, ERGOSE was progressing towards the completion of critical milestones, with the aim of setting the Competitive Dialogue in motion by the end of this year.
Immediately after the Board of Directors’ meeting, the President and CEO of ERGOSE, Mr. Christos Vinis stated: “Following the tendering of major rail network upgrade projects a few weeks ago, we are launching the tenders for the six projects of the Competitive Dialogue. From the very first moment we took over the management of ERGOSE, our aim has been to move forward with the planning and implementation of vital projects that will change the landscape of passenger and freight transport in our country. We are very pleased that, with the valuable assistance of our human resources, we have met the challenge and are laying the foundations for the implementation of projects with a high economic multiplier, which will contribute to the much needed development of the country.”
For more information you can contact the following contact details:
Tel: 210 5283 492
Email: info@ergose.gr
About ERGOSE:
ERGOSE S.A. was established in 1996 as a subsidiary of OSE and belongs to the public utilities. The company’s mission is to complete a modern railway network that will constitute an important development pillar for the Greek economy and society, contributing to the safety and speed of transport of people, goods and freight. In this context, ERGOSE S.A. currently manages the modernization projects of the railway lines and facilities of OSE co-financed by the Operational Programmes of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) 2014-2020 from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) 2014-2020 as well as projects with purely national funding that are necessary to complete the investments of the co-financed programmes. The company currently employs more than 200 experienced and highly qualified staff, while it has been providing its services for more than two decades, responding effectively and reliably to the implementation of projects through its excellent organization, structure and systems.