Endeavour Magazine spoke to Attiko Metro S.A. Deputy Manager, George Leoutsakos, about the company’s new 3.3 billion Euro project to further develop the Athens Metro network.

WRITTEN BY AMY TOCKNELL

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

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ATTIKO METRO S.A.

WWW.AMETRO.GR 0030 210 679 2399

Originally founded in 1991, AM is state-owned, centrally based in Athens and has a clear directive;

“The design, construction, organisation, management and development of the metropolitan railway network in the Attica Prefecture as well as in the area of Thessaloniki Prefecture.”

Thrown into the deep end from the point of inception, the company was immediately charged with the construction of an extra two metro lines, a project that was enthusiastically started in 1992. Despite the gravitas of this expansion project, AM was not a company to overlook company growth potential, as George Leoutsakos explains,

“In 2001, Attiko Metro formed Tram S.A. as a subsidiary company, which undertook the implementation of the Tramway network in Athens. This company was made independent in 2003, but in 2011, Attiko Metro S.A., through further legislation, assumed back the responsibility for the continuation of the expansion of the Tramway network.”

It is almost incomprehensible that one company could maintain such a high volume of work, without a compromise on quality, budget or timescale and yet AMSA makes it seem easy. Leoutsakos was happy to highlight the accomplishments of the company;

“In the last 22 years, Attiko Metro S.A. has put into operation, or has currently under construction, 61 km of Metro lines with 64 stations in Athens and Thessaloniki, equating to an approximate value 7.2 billion Euros. An additional 53 km with 46 stations are in the planning and design stage with a budget of an additional 5.2 billion Euros.”

ATTIKO METRO S.A.

Tackling an expansion project as critical and large-scale as the installation of a new metro line, which is destined to house an additional 14 stations, is no small feat, but for the expert team at Attiko Metro S.A. (AM), it is the latest in a long list of impressive achievements.

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This is impressive enough, but factor in 32km of Tram lines, with an additional 9km currently being designed (at an estimated cost of 600 million Euros), and AM is clearly a force to be reckoned with, but what goals motivate the organisation?

“The main aim is to continuously improve, extend and enhance the Transit Systems in Athens and Thessaloniki, serving as many areas as possible. The benefits derived from the systematic use of the public transportation are numerous for the passengers (speed, comfort, safety and reliability), as well as for the everyday life of the citizens in general (air pollution decrease, noise reduction and less traffic accidents.).”

Essentially, public transport passengers within Athens and Thessaloniki have AM to thank for getting them to their numerous destinations, in a comfortable and timely manner, but it is not just members of the public that have acknowledged the expertise of the organisation;

“Following a 2012 legislation, Attiko Metro S.A. is currently able to provide technical consulting services for Metro and Tram systems to third parties, both in Greece and internationally. This is based on the experience, specialized know-how and project management effectiveness that the company has aquired, in the construction of the fixed guide-way rail networks.”

ATTIKO METRO S.A.

This in no way detracts from the day-to-day business activities, the focus of which is still the construction of a new Metro projects in Athens;

“The on-going project is the Line 3 extension to Piraeus (underground, 7.6 km long, with 6 new stations). The Project budget is 730 million Euros and aims to resolve the acute traffic problems and sub-standard services, in terms of public transport, especially in the Piraeus Port area. The extension will serve approximately 132,000 passengers on a daily basis, while also offering a direct connection between the Port and International Athens Airport. Once this extension is completed, the number of vehicles on the road will be reduced by approximately 23,000 on a daily basis, which in turn will significantly reduce CO2 emissions. The project commenced in March 2012 with completion expected in 2018.”

It’s hard to believe that this is just one facet of current AM operations, but continuing to discuss pertinent projects, Leoutsakos expands on the concurrent development in Thessaloniki;

“Concerning the development and construction of the Metro system in the city of Thessaloniki, it is worth pointing out that by incorporating state-of-the-art systems and trains in combination with the most stringent quality and operability standards, Thessaloniki Metro shall become one of the most advanced and state of the art fully automated Metro networks in Europe.

A contract was agreed for a 9.6 km network, with 13 modern platform stations and 18 fully automatic and air-conditioned trains, designed to ensure the provision of optimum services to passengers with maximum safety. A multi-level depot on a 50,000-m2 area is also under construction including an operations control centre. June 2013 saw a new contract signed for the construction of the first extension of the Thessaloniki to Kalamaria line with a further 4.8 km and 5 new stations.”

With new contracts being agreed, it is safe to assume that the industry is remaining stable, with ready access to funding? Thanks to the E.U. and European Investment Bank (EIB), the answer is yes and transportation improvement initiatives are not suffering from the recent economic turbulence experienced by many countries. In fact, the only stumbling block to faster project completion, within Athens and Thessaloniki, appears to be essential archaeological investigations, which have in most cases been taking longer than anticipated.

It would not be a stretch to assume that AM, with such a bulging portfolio of current projects, has a staff body to rival the largest organisations in the world and yet the figure is relatively diminutive;

“Attiko Metro S.A. currently has 450 employees, the majority

of whom are highly educated professionals with unique expertise gained within the construction and rail industry. The development of our personnel is one of our primary goals, as we strongly believe that our people can add an extra value to our company. With this firmly in the forefront of the management team’s mind, the continuous improvement of employee knowledge is guaranteed through specialist training courses and seminars. In order to offer a high-end service, maintaining a premier body of staff is necessary and as such, is a primary company goal.”

So, far from being exclusively concerned about current projects, AMSA as an organisation is keen to support the development of individual employees. It is a mystery how it finds the time to give equal consideration to both staff and customers, but find the time they do, because it has a deep-seated inclination to retain its exemplar reputation;

“Our focus is to construct a safe, reliable, punctual and aesthetically pleasing Metro or tramway system. This is the best practice to keep “customers” happy. As part of our ‘after sales’ policy, we have a commitment to look into the specific problems of individual passengers with specific care and attention.”

There can be no doubt that AM has numerous future projects to look forward to and that the already impressive portfolio of completed work will soon be added to, but are there any particularly notable initiatives in the offing?

“The design, tender and implementation of the new driverless metro line 4 in Athens. The first section, of 12.2 Km and 14 new stations, has secured funding and is ready to proceed to the project construction tender phase.

There is also the full pedestrianisation of a central avenue in Athens, with a corresponding catenary free tramway installation, designed to make the city safer and friendlier

Finally, the very special design of a metro station in Thessaloniki (Venizelou station) is something to look forward to. After having discovered part of the ancient city during the station excavations, we are aiming to incorporate the ancient city inside the metro station, seamlessly blending the antiquities with 21st century technology and driverless trains.”

Pleased to be involved with such a wide variety of projects, AM looks set to continue its legacy of providing state of the art, impressive transportation solutions which shine a spotlight on the cutting edge architectural principles applied throughout its stations. Coupled with a sympathetic approach to existing historical structures, AM is guaranteeing it’s addition to the history books.

ATTIKO METRO S.A.