Μake us preferred on Google Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived by metro on Thursday, Aug. 27, for the inauguration of the Thessaloniki Metro’s extension to Kalamaria, surprising journalists who had been waiting for him outside the Mikra station, where the ceremony was taking place.
Mitsotakis traveled on the newly opened section before attending the inauguration ceremony. Asked by reporters about the journey, he said: “It was excellent. It is just as good as the main line, perhaps even better,” smiling as he arrived at the event.
Ceremony marking the handover of the Thessaloniki Metro extension to Kalamaria, at the Mikra station, attended by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Thursday, August 27, 2026. (Giorgos Kontarinis / Eurokinissi)
The extension entered commercial service on Thursday, marking the opening of five new metro stations in the southeastern part of Thessaloniki.
Five new stations added
The new underground section is 4.78 kilometers long and adds five stations to the city’s metro network:
- Nomarchia
- Kalamaria
- Aretsou
- Nea Krini
- Mikra
The extension also adds 15 new automated trains, bringing the Thessaloniki Metro network to 18 stations and 14.4 kilometers in total.
The new service is expected to significantly shorten travel times across the city. The journey from Mikra to the New Railway Station will take approximately 25 minutes, while the trip from Kalamaria to central Thessaloniki will take less than 20 minutes.
Ceremony marking the handover of the Thessaloniki Metro extension to Kalamaria, at the Mikra station, attended by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Thursday, August 27, 2026. (Giorgos Kontarinis / Eurokinissi)
Train frequency on the new branch will be as high as one train every 2.5 minutes.
63,000 passengers expected daily
The extension is expected to serve approximately 63,000 passengers every day and remove around 12,000 cars from Thessaloniki’s roads.
Ceremony marking the handover of the Thessaloniki Metro extension to Kalamaria, at the Mikra station, attended by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Thursday, August 27, 2026. (Giorgos Kontarinis / Eurokinissi)
At the same time, the Infrastructure Ministry is moving forward with the necessary land expropriations for the opening of Pontou Street.
The next major goal for the city’s metro network is an extension to western Thessaloniki by 2035, according to the Infrastructure Ministry’s leadership.
