“Athena,” the name given to one of the two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) building Athens Metro Line 4, reached the Evangelismos shaft today (February 12).

Having started from Katechaki, “Athena” has already excavated a 5.1-kilometer tunnel, and its head was revealed at the intersection of Vasilissis Konstantinou and Michalakopoulou streets, while The Doors’ “Break on Through” was playing.

The 100-meter-long TBM, a landmark not only for tunnel construction but also for the country’s engineering know-how, will be disassembled after completing its mission, brought to the surface, and then stored according to the manufacturer’s instructions so that it can be ready for a new journey on a future project.

300 Workers and 3,400 Concrete Rings

Until now, working around the clock in shifts, “Athena” and the AVAX staff have installed 3,393 such concrete “rings,” tracing the route through Goudi, Zografou, Ilisia, the University Campus, and Kaisariani. It is estimated that over 400,000 cubic meters of soil have been removed.

This “breakthrough” of the first of the two TBMs working on the country’s largest public project marks the milestone of breaking through the shaft wall, known in construction terminology as a breakthrough.

The 300 workers of the AVAX-GHELLA-ALSTOM joint venture assigned to the TBM teams, in constant coordination with “Elliniko Metro” officials, are working feverishly and are now in the final stretch.

65% of Line 4 Tunnel Already Completed

The second, twin TBM of the joint venture, “Niki,” is following the opposite 7.5-kilometer route. It started from Veikou Park, passed through Galatsi and the “Elikonos” station, and today is just past “Kypseli Square” station, having already excavated 2,960 meters of tunnel—covering 42% of its route.

Along its route, “Niki” will pass under the Courthouse, Alexandras Avenue, Exarchia, Akadimias, and Kolonaki, eventually ending at the Evangelismos shaft as well. According to the project plan, station construction will follow.