Representatives of STASY and the contractor consortium Sidirourga Erga – Leonidas Rigas Technical today, Wednesday 4 November, signed a €4,851,850 contract (plus VAT) at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport for maintenance and restoration work on the track superstructure of Line 1. The signing was attended by Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport George Kotsiras and Secretary-General for Transport Stelios Sakaretsios.
The project is scheduled to take 12 months from the signing of the contract and is funded from STASY resources.
The project involves maintenance and restoration work on the railway infrastructure along 16 km of track, as well as at 60 sets of points.
The work aims to address wear and tear from use, maintain high safety and reliability standards, and improve service running times.
The last comparable work on the ISAP network was carried out in 2011, underscoring the importance of timely infrastructure maintenance, the relevant announcement said.
Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport George Kotsiras said:
“Timely, preventive maintenance of infrastructure is crucial to the resilience, safety and smooth operation of urban rail services. With rail replacement work on Metro Lines 2 and 3 nearing completion, we are extending maintenance work to Line 1, one of the most important corridors for urban transport in the capital.
This project is part of a comprehensive modernisation programme for ISAP that is under way and includes the refurbishment of trainsets, infrastructure maintenance and station renovations. These works will pave the way for a gradual increase in service frequency, strengthen the network’s reliability and improve travel conditions for thousands of passengers. Our constant aim is to upgrade urban public transport and improve people’s everyday lives”.
“With this project, we are undertaking extensive work on Line 1, addressing wear and tear that has built up over the network’s long period of use and strengthening its operational reliability.
Our aim is not only to maintain high safety standards, but also to improve ISAP’s day-to-day operations, with a positive impact on service running times and the service provided to passengers”, said STASY’s chief executive Athanasios Kottaras and added: “We are investing in our infrastructure because upgrading public transport starts with ensuring its quality and reliability”.
“The Consortium is undertaking maintenance work on the ballasted track of STASY’s Line 1. This includes general track maintenance, such as inspecting the track on bridges, correcting horizontal and vertical alignment, replacing sleepers and rails (where required), maintaining points and laying ballast, among other tasks. The ballasted track on STASY’s Line 1 was completely renovated in 2011.
Under this contract, maintenance work and repairs to damage caused by use of the network will be carried out. The Consortium’s members, who have many years’ experience in railway network maintenance projects and recognise the importance of this work for Athens’ urban transport system, will make every effort to deliver a high-quality project in accordance with the design and within the contractual timeframe”, the consortium Leonidas Rigas Technical – Sidirourga Erga said in a statement.
The work includes, among other things:
Replacing rails on curved sections and carrying out aluminothermic welds.
Taking measurements to determine precisely what work is required.
Supplying and laying ballast, as well as correcting the horizontal and vertical alignment of the main line and points.
Restoring the track superstructure in the Kymi area.
Inspecting the fastening systems for the guide rails.
Inspecting the fastening of sleeper fastening systems on metal bridges.
Replacing switch blades and stock rails at points.
The work will be carried out at night to minimise its impact on passengers’ daily journeys.
Each section where work is carried out will be returned to normal traffic in the morning.