Greece Railway System
In its efforts to upgrade Greece’s railway network, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has introduced six new tenders at a total budget of 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion) that will be funded from European Structural and Investment Funds and the Connecting Europe Facility - CEF 2 (2021 -2027). The six tenders are expected to offer 465 kilometers of operating lines to the current network, which would be a major upgrade. The local construction firms that have expressed interest in the six tenders thus far include: Aktor, Mytilineos, GEK-Terna, Intrakat, Avax, and Alstom.
ERGA OSE S.A. (ERGOSE) is a subsidiary of the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) that undertakes the management of all Investment Program projects., including the ones noted above. It will be utilizing the Building Information Modelling (ΒΙΜ) for the six tenders, which will likely be finalized at different times.
Of possible interest to U.S. firms would be the request for Proposals for Project Management services for the tenders below amounting to $222M.
- Thessaloniki – Toxotes at $1.89B
- Alexandroupoli – Ormenio at $1.2B
- Elefterios Venizelos – Rafina at $349M
- Rio – New Patras Port at $538M
- Elefterios Venizelos - Lavrio Port at $441M
The request for proposals for construction management services for ongoing and new tenders, as seen below, amounts to $33M.
Ongoing
- Kiato – Patra
- Polikastro – Eidomeni
- Athens Main Station – 3 Gefyres
New Projects
- Patra – Pyrgos – Kalamata
- Kiato – Patra
- Thessaloniki – Xanthi
- Rododafni - Rio
Some projects, especially ones in the Thessaly-Macedonia region have challenges ranging from signaling to electrification.
In the last few years, the need for infrastructure consulting firms has increased as the Government attempts to take on several big-ticket projects, and as private sector development also has been robust. In response, the market has seen more consulting firms trying to actively engage in this space. The Greek Government welcomes U.S. firms, especially project management ones, as they are global leaders in this space. While some projects are publicly listed, the Government is looking for a range of project management solutions which it would wish to trial and possibly purchase through a pilot project. The main objective would be to decrease bureaucracy while enhancing informed and quality focused decisions in the tender process.
U.S. firms are recognized for their skills in project management and design and many U.S. firms have been involved in major infrastructure projects including the Athens Metro, the Athens International Airport, and the Ellinikon Experience Park.
The Commercial Section of the U.S. Embassy in Athens may be able to arrange the appropriate introductions to Greek Government stakeholders and the Greek firms directly participating in the tenders. Firms interested in learning more about rail opportunities should reach out to irini.karajani@trade.gov or athina.kladis@trade.gov.