Thessaloniki's Metropolitan Railway is one of the most controversial projects in Greece.

Almost a decade after the construction of the subway in Athens, it was Thessaloniki's turn to be upgraded in terms of public transportation. The construction started in 2006, although the idea was originally proposed more than 20 years ago. The whole project should have been completed by now; but unfortunately, due to the economic crisis that Greece is going through, there have been lots of interruptions and delays.

There were many important antiquities that came to light during the excavations. Ancient graves, vessels, jewelry and, recently, whole sections of the ancient city were unearthed, causing great dilemmas about whether or not they should be relocated to the archaeologists and architects working in the excavations.

Despite the fact that the citizens of Thessaloniki are really skeptical regarding the completion of the project, Thessaloniki's Metro should be ready by 2020 according to the latest announcements by the construction company "Attiko Metro S.A.".

Thessaloniki's underground railway is supposedly similar to the one in Copenhagen. In its first phase, the metro should have 13 stations with modern design and 9.6 km of underground line with twin tunnels. AnsaldoBreda Driverless Metro trains will be used, and the stations will have glass walls with automatic doors on the edge of the platforms for extra safety – a feature that is missing in the otherwise successful Athens' metro.

Although Thessaloniki, as a relatively medium sized city, could use a much simpler tram network instead, the metro will definitely solve many traffic problems and make Thessaloniki a much more easy-to-get-around city for both citizens and tourists.

Does your city have its Metropolitan Railway? Was the construction an easy and successful project?

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