The new motorway, scheduled to be fully completed by November this year, will shorten travel times to Western Greece.

The Greek government outlined progress on strategic transport and energy projects, key among them the Thessaloniki flyover.

Greece's Infrastructure Minister Christos Dimas assured that the tunnel is part of an auxiliary network and poses no safety risks.

The government has given fast-track approval to strategic projects in Evia, the Peloponnese, and Western Greece.

Founded in 1884, the Peloponnese line is Europe’s longest meter-gauge railway network. Services stopped in 2011 as a result of Greece’s debt crisis.