In one of Europe’s oldest cities, a marvel of modern engineering now rumbles beneath ancient streets.
Thessaloniki’s much-anticipated £2.2 billion driverless metro line opened its doors in late 2024, and this modern marvel cuts through some of the most significant Roman and Byzantine-era ruins ever discovered. The project, a long-awaited solution to the city’s crippling traffic congestion, took 38 years to complete and was constantly derailed by unexpected archaeological findings. More than 300,000 artefacts were uncovered during excavations for Line 1, with discoveries ranging from ancient public baths and residential homes to a commercial district dating back to the 4th century AD. In one extraordinary instance, an entire Roman road, the Decumanus Maximus, was uncovered near Venizelou Station, revealing what has been dubbed “Byzantine Pompeii”.
Thessaloniki is one of the oldest cities in Europe, founded in 315 BC and named after Thessalonike, the sister of Alexander the Great.
It’s a city layered with the rich history of the Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, and others.
As the city continues to grow with over a million residents and millions more visitors each year, the demand for modern infrastructure, including mass transit, became impossible to ignore.
The city’s streets, which were laid out centuries ago, were simply unable to accommodate the rising population and the growing economic importance of the region.
This is where the metro project came into play, aiming to modernise the city’s transportation system and reduce the number of cars on its crowded roads.
However, the task was not as simple as building a tunnel beneath the city. Engineers faced the daunting challenge of constructing a modern metro system in a city that was literally built upon thousands of years of archaeological treasures.
The infamous “hole of Kouvelas”, an open construction pit dating back to the 1980s, became a symbol of stalled progress. Yet, after 40 years, the city now boasts Europe’s most archaeologically integrated metro, blending ancient history with cutting-edge transport.
Today, passengers travel beneath Thessaloniki on driverless trains, hopping off at futuristic stations that double as archaeological exhibits.
Venizelou Station, for instance, showcases Roman roads and mosaics exactly where they were found, an unprecedented feat of urban archaeology.
Despite blowing past original budgets and timelines, the metro is expected to carry 300,000 passengers daily, easing congestion in a city once crippled by traffic.
With Line 2 already under construction and due by late 2025, Thessaloniki’s ancient streets are getting a 21st-century upgrade.
