French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating in rail transport group Alstom is turning its attention to Heraklion, Crete. It brings back discussions about the construction of a fixed track network, which will connect the city of Heraklion with the new airport in Kasteli.
According to news website hellasjournal, Managing Director of Alstom in Greece and Western Balkans, Stavros Vlachos, briefed about the plans during a recent meeting with reporters.
The matter has been put on the table in discussions with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. It is about the construction of a complex network of fixed track, a combination of tram and suburban, Vlachos said.
He added that within the city of Heraklion it will take the form of a tram with low speedm, while outside the city it will take the form of a suburban train with higher speed.
He emphasized that this is a project requested by the city itself, while it will utilize, if implemented, older infrastructures that existed for the transport of coal, and which have been abandoned, while there is a provision for the project to be developed in between the BOAK, as in case of Attica Road in Athens.
The project could be done either with funds from the Recovery Fund which finances fixed-track projects or through the program for innovative investments under the “Model Proposals” framework.
Referring to the railway network in Greece, Vlachos said that it “has lagged far behind the metro network, which is one of the most advanced networks in Europe.”
Alstom’s goal is to claim the overall upgrade and restructuring of the country’s railway network, while the company completes the signaling and electrification of the Domokos – Thessaloniki line.
Website hellasjournal described the Heraklio-Kasteli plan tocover a distance of 34 km drive as “crazy.”
*thumbnail picture shows road connection
