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one of the tasks that presented the most
technical difficulties since it involved a large
tunnel in an urban area with an open sec-
tion of more than 200 m
2
. This section was
named the “Grand Cavern”. The execution
was a great success in terms of the period
required for its construction as well as for its
quality. The excavation did not cause any
potholes whatsoever.
The Anthoupoli, 147 m long and 20 m
deep, has a level for ticket offices and
access control and another one for the
platforms. The critical section in the cons-
truction of this station was the execution
of one of the entries of the vestibule which
involved digging a 15 m
2
open section tun-
nel with less than 2 m of covering and with
centimetre-tolerance at the sections under-
neath existing services (galleries, sewage
wells, drinking water wells, and electrical
and communication wiring. The execution
was successful and the client congratula-
ted the project team for their work.
The contract also contemplated the su-
perstructure, double-rails 1,380 m, and the
upgrading of existing rail lines at the Agios
Antonios station. It also included electro-
mechanical installations in the two stations
and the tunnel and the revamping and co-
ordination of these installations with the
tele-control and tele-detection system at
the General Control Centre at the Central
Syntagma Station.
In addition to assembling the rail along the
length of the tunnel, pipes, prisms, and
conduits were placed for the electromecha-
nical installations.
Javier Mota, project manager, explained
that in order to be able to finish the project
on schedule, more than 150 people worked
during peak hours.
The project has been completed 100%
and the current work involves finishings.
The final project documentation is being
prepared (as-built blueprints, quality docu-
mentation, and the manuals for the electro-
mechanical equipment).
Future projects
Although Greece is currently immersed in a
very serious economic crisis and State-fun-
ded public works have come to a standstill,
other public works projects funded by the
European Union via its Aid Funds, are cu-
rrently ongoing.
As part of the current Infrastructure Plan, the
Greek Ministry of Public Works, YPeMeDi,
has announced important railway projects.
ALPlNE in Greece
Since 1980, FCC’s Austrian subsidiary has been active in Greece. It has taken on and
built major infrastructure projects such as the Thisavros dam in Drama; the Artemisio
tunnel in Corinth; the 8.5 km-long By-Pass of ancient Olympia at the National Vitina
highway; and the enlargement of Line 2 of the Athens subway system which included
the construction of a 3 km-long tunnel.
The Company is currently building the Egnatia highway, the national Tripoli-Kalamata
road; and the Drama-Kpidpimoa road, the Sindos station, and the Byzantine Museum
in Athens.
It is also the major partner in the joint venture
involved in the construction of the extension
of Line 3 of the Athens underground which
includes several stations; Egaleo, Haidari,
and the Eleonas terminal.
The project contemplates the construction of
a 1.5 km-long tunnel using the Austrian me-
thod.
Other projects in the pipeline include the
425 million Euro project for the extension
of the Salonika subway, plus other conces-
sion projects such as the construction of
the Iraklio Airport (Crete) and the extension
of the Attikí Odos highway east of Athens.
Official visits
Due to the importance of the Athens un-
derground, the Peristeri extension project
received wide media coverage, with a large
number of journalists visiting the worksite
as well as politicians. Among these official
visits, one of the most important was the
one made by Magdalena Álvarez, Spanish
minister of Public Works in 2007, the Greek
minister of Public Works, Mr. Soufliás in
2008 and 2010, and the visit of the Greek
prime minister, Mr. Karamanlís in 2010.