The metro extension to Kalamaria, featuring five new stations, Nomarchia, Kalamaria, Aretsou, Nea Krini and Mikra, adds roughly 4.5 kilometres to the existing network and creates a new branch after the “25th March” station

The handover ceremony for the Thessaloniki Metro extension to Kalamaria began on Thursday morning with the traditional blessing, in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The ceremony took place at the “Mikra” station, marking the start of operations for the network’s new extension.

From today, the new metro branch will operate as a single network together with the existing section of the main line, “New Railway Station, Nea Elvetia, Pylaia Depot”, completing the urban rail network as it has been designed to date.

The extension to Kalamaria, featuring five new stations, Nomarchia, Kalamaria, Aretsou, Nea Krini and Mikra, adds roughly 4.5 kilometres to the existing network and creates a new branch after the “25th March” station. Trains will run either towards “Mikra” or towards “Nea Elvetia”, in a ratio of two to one, with the operation of the two branches managed through the same control system.

Greek PM: “We’re not stopping here”

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Thessaloniki has yet to grasp the full scale of change brought by the latest expansion of the city’s Metro, as five new stations opened on Thursday.

“In 2024 I rode the Thessaloniki Metro’s maiden journey. Today five more stations are being added, bringing the total to 18 across almost 15 kilometres,” Mitsotakis said.

“I think the city itself hasn’t yet understood how much it will change and be upgraded by this hugely significant expansion. The construction, the extension and the electric trains together form a different transport map altogether.”

Mitsotakis noted that it took 40 years to reach this point, as the Thessaloniki Metro had long been synonymous with political indifference. He described the system as fully automated, one of the most attractive in Europe, among the cheapest to use, and accessible to people with disabilities. “That allows us to say with confidence: we said it and we did it,” he said.

“We are not stopping here. The government’s political decision is clear and not open to negotiation. Now that the main line has been completed, planning and construction of the Metro’s extension into Thessaloniki’s northwestern districts is getting under way at a rapid pace,” the Prime Minister added.

The new lines

With the start of commercial operation, the interval between trains on the shared section of the line, between “New Railway Station” and “25th March”, will start at around three minutes, while on the remaining section towards Kalamaria the average interval between trains will be around 4.5 minutes.

The journey from “Mikra” to the “New Railway Station” will take approximately 24 to 26 minutes, depending on how trains alternate between the two branches, bringing the travel time from Kalamaria to central Thessaloniki to under 20 minutes.

A few hours after the inauguration, at 15:00, the Kalamaria branch of the Thessaloniki Metro will open to the public, with the five new stations, Nomarchia, Kalamaria, Aretsou, Nea Krini and Mikra, becoming available to passengers.

With the Kalamaria branch now part of the network, Thessaloniki Metro services return to full operating hours, which from Thursday, 27 August, will be as follows:

Monday to Thursday: 05:15 to 00:30
Friday and Saturday: 05:15 to 02:00
Sunday: 05:15 to 00:30

The times above refer to the first and last departures of trains from the line’s terminal stations, “New Railway Station”, “Nea Elvetia” and “Mikra”.