- Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Nikos Tachiaos officially signed the commercial operation license for the 4.5 km Kalamaria extension (25th of March – Mikra).
- Commercial service launches today, Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 3:00 PM, linking Kalamaria directly to the main line.
- The branch adds five new stations: Nomarchia, Kalamaria, Aretsou, Nea Krini, and Mikra, built closer to surface level with natural light features.
- Trains will run every 3 minutes on the shared central trunk (New Railway Station to 25th of March) and every 4.5 minutes along the Kalamaria branch. Travel time from Kalamaria to downtown is under 20 minutes, and 24–26 minutes from Mikra to the main station.
The new 25is Martiou–Mikra branch has received the final operating approval following completion of the required infrastructure and systems testing and certification.
The extension adds approximately 4.5 kilometers and five new stations to the network: Nomarchia, Kalamaria, Aretsou, Nea Krini, and Mikra.
From Thursday afternoon, the new branch will operate as part of the existing automated metro network, sharing the line with services toward Nea Elvetia.
The extension will officially open to passengers at 3 p.m. on August 27, after which the metro will return to its regular operating schedule.
For passengers, one of the biggest changes will be travel time. A journey from Mikra to the New Railway Station will take approximately 24 to 26 minutes, depending on how trains are allocated between the two branches. Travel from Kalamaria to central Thessaloniki will take less than 20 minutes.
On the common section of the network, between the New Railway Station and 25is Martiou, trains are initially expected approximately every three minutes, while the interval on the Kalamaria branch will be around 4.5 minutes.
The new extension has required an unusually complex integration process because it connects a new branch to an already operating automated metro system. Older and newer trains must communicate with the control center and with one another, while the two branches must function as a single network.
The project also involved coordinating six separate contracts and different contractors, alongside extensive testing outside passenger operating hours.
Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Nikos Tachiaos described the project as a first for Greece, since the country has not previously integrated a branch extension into an operating automated metro system.
The extension includes 15 new trains and new high-voltage and electrical infrastructure, while the independent certification body TÜV Rheinland has issued the required safety certification for operation.
More than Just a Metro Extension
The opening is also expected to reshape transport patterns across southeastern Thessaloniki.
Tachiaos said the government expects the Kalamaria branch to eventually accommodate around 63,000 journeys, potentially taking a significant number of cars off the roads and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
The next challenge will be connecting the metro more effectively with the rest of the city’s public transport network. The planned restructuring of bus routes is expected to help turn the metro into a more integrated metropolitan transport system.
Meanwhile, work is also moving forward on the planned redevelopment of Pontou Street in Kalamaria, with the relevant contract currently undergoing pre-contractual review. The project includes a new 40-meter-wide road, landscaping and parking interventions and is expected to take around nine months once construction begins.
And the metro story does not end with Kalamaria. The government has identified the northwestern extension as the next major priority, with studies and tender documents being prepared and the project intended for inclusion in the next European funding framework.
Another planned improvement is tap-and-pay, which will eventually allow passengers to enter the Thessaloniki Metro directly using a credit or debit card while retaining existing discounts and concessions for regular public transport users.