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Transport in Greece have undergone significant changes in the past two decades, vastly modernizing the country's infrastructure and transportation. Although ferry transport between islands remains the prominent method of transport between the nation's islands, improvements to the road infrastructure, rail, urban transport, and airports have all led to a vast improvement in transportation. These upgrades have played a key role in supporting Greece's economy, which in the past decade has come to rely heavily on the construction industry.
Thessaloniki, also known as Thessalonica, Saloniki, Solun or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece, with over 1 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of Macedonia, the administrative region of Central Macedonia and the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace. It is also known in Greek as η Συμπρωτεύουσα, literally "the co-capital", a reference to its historical status as the Συμβασιλεύουσα or "co-reigning" city of the Byzantine Empire alongside Constantinople.
Thessaloniki Airport, officially Thessaloniki Airport "Makedonia" and formerly Mikra Airport, is an international airport serving Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece. It is located 13 km (8.1 mi) southeast of the city, in Thermi.
Greek vehicle registration plates are composed of three letters and four digits per plate printed in black on a white background. The letters represent the district (prefecture) that issues the plates while the numbers range from 1000 to 9999. As of 2004 a blue strip was added on the left showing the country code of Greece (GR) in white text and the Flag of Europe in yellow. Similar plates but of square size with numbers ranging from 1 to 999 are issued for motorcycles which exceed 50 cc in engine size.
The Hellenic Railways Organisation or OSE is the Greek national railway company which owns, maintains and operates all railway infrastructure in Greece with the exception of Athens' rapid transit lines. Train services on these lines are run by TrainOSE S.A., a former OSE subsidiary. In addition, OSE owns and maintains the rolling stock used by TrainOSE and maintains preserved special rolling stock, withdrawn locomotives and railcars.
Thessaloniki is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Region of Central Macedonia and its capital is the city of Thessaloniki.
The Thessaloniki Metro is an underground rapid-transit system under construction in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. Estimates for the cost of the megaproject are €1.62 billion ($1.83 billion) for the main line and €640 million ($723 million) for the Kalamaria extension, for a total of €2.26 billion ($2.55 billion). The project is primarily funded with loans from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and funds from the Greek government. Construction by a Greek-Italian consortium is overseen by Attiko Metro S.A., the Greek state-owned company which oversaw construction of the Athens Metro and Athens Tram.
The Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 destroyed two thirds of the city of Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece, leaving more than 70,000 homeless. The fire burned for 32 hours and destroyed 9,500 houses within an extent of 1 square kilometer. Half the Jewish population emigrated from the city as their livelihoods were gone. Rather than quickly rebuilding, the government commissioned the French architect Ernest Hébrard to design a new urban plan for the burned areas and for the future expansion of the city. His designs are still evident in the city, most notably Aristotelous Square, although some of his most grandiose plans were never completed due to a lack of funds.
The III Hellenic Army Corps / NATO Rapid Deployable Corps – Greece, abbreviated NRDC-GR, is an operational headquarters of the Hellenic Army, intended for the direction of international operations undertaken by the European Union and NATO. The HQ was originally going to replace the III Army Corps of the Hellenic Army altogether, taking control of its rapid response units, but this was changed in 2009, so that the two HQs essentially co-exist as a joint formation, each controlling different units of the old Army Corps. The Corps is based in the city of Thessaloniki since 1946.
Antenna Group, better known as ANT1 Group, is a media company in Greece and currently the largest Greek media company. It was established on 9 August 1989 by Minos Kyriakou, the president and founder of Antenna Group. Today, his son, Theodore Kyriakou, heads up a media empire whose operations include broadcasting, radio, publishing, digital, educational services, telecommunications and a record label. At the cornerstone of the company is ANT1 TV, one of the largest and most successful private television networks in Greece.
On Telecoms was a Greek telecommunications company offering triple play, double play and fixed telephony services in Athens and Thessaloniki through Local Loop Unbundling.
Greco-Indian relations are the relations between Greece and India. Greece has an embassy in New Delhi and three honorary consulates in Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai. India has an embassy in Athens and an honorary consulate in Thessaloniki. As of 2020, the relation between the two countries is closer than ever and is considered historical and strategic by both parts.
Rail transport in Greece has a history which began in 1869, with the completion of the then Athens & Piraeus Railway. From the 1880s to the 1920s the majority of the network was built, reaching its heyday in 1940. From the 1950s onward the railway system entered a period of decline culminating in the service cuts of 2011. Ever since the 1990s the network has been steadily modernized, but still remains smaller than its peak length. The operation of the Greek railway network is split between the Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE), which owns and maintains the infrastructure and TrainOSE and other private companies that run the trains on the network. Greece is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Greece is 73.
The Port of Thessaloniki is one of the largest seaports in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is considered the gateway Port to the Balkans and South East Europe, strategically located in Northern Greece close to the major Trans-European motorway and railway networks with direct access to the Southeastern European countries. The port is operated by ThPA S.A. which is listed on the Athens Exchange since 2001, is authorized with AEO license and handles containers, conventional cargo, operates the free zone of the Port in accordance with tax and customs legislation currently in force, offers logistics solutions and intermodal rail services as well as serves passenger traffic through cruise and ferry. Following the privatization process, 67% of the Company’s share capital was transferred to South Europe Gateway Thessaloniki (SEGT) Ltd on March 23, 2018. SEGT Ltd. consists of "Deutsche Invest Equity Partners GmbH" (47%), "Terminal Link SAS" (33%) and "Belterra Investments Ltd." (20%). The Greek State, via HRADF, retains a stake of 7.27% of ThPA S.A. and the remaining 25.73% is free float. On June 4, 2021, the shareholding structure of SEGT Ltd. was changed since shareholder “Belterra Investments Ltd.” purchased the entire share of "Deutsche Invest Equity Partners GmbH", therefore owning 67% and consequently becoming the controlling shareholder of SEGT Ltd.
The Friendship Express, was an international InterCity train jointly operated by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) and TrainOSE from July 2005 to February 2011, linking Istanbul's Sirkeci Terminal, Turkey and Thessaloniki, Greece. Eastbound trains departed daily at 19:48 from Thessaloniki arriving to Istanbul at 08:07. Westbound trains departed at 20:30 from Istanbul, arriving to Thessaloniki at 09:33.
TrainOSE S.A. is a private railway company in Greece which currently operates passenger and freight trains on OSE lines. TrainOSE was acquired in September 2017 by the Italian national railway company, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane. The company was a subsidiary of the Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE) until 2008, when it became an independent state-owned company until its privatisation in 2017. TrainOSE employs all train crews, operators and manages the rail services throughout the Greek railway network, but does not own any rolling stock, leasing rolling stock owned by OSE instead.
Aris Thessaloniki Football Club or simply Aris FC or AFC is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece. Created in 1914 as Aris Thessaloniki Football Club, the club was a founding member of the Macedonian Football Clubs Association, as well as the Hellenic Football Federation. The colours of the club are golden/yellow, a dominant colour in the culture of Macedonia and reminiscent of the Byzantine heritage of Thessaloniki, and black. It is named after Ares, the ancient Olympian "God of War," associated also with courage and masculinity, whose image is portrayed on the club's logo as depicted in the Ludovisi Ares sculpture.
Water supply and sanitation in Greece is characterised by diversity. While Athens receives its water from a series of reservoirs, some of which are located 200 km away, some small islands are supplied with water from tankers. Greeks have suffered from repeated droughts, the most recent one occurring in 2007. The EU supported the construction of numerous wastewater treatment plants since the 1990s in order to achieve EU environmental standards. While the wastewater discharge of the biggest cities is now in compliance with these standards, some smaller towns still lag behind.
The Greek–Serbian Alliance of 1913 was signed at Thessaloniki on 1 June 1913, in the aftermath of the First Balkan War, when both countries wanted to preserve their gains in Macedonia from Bulgarian expansionism. The treaty formed the cornerstone of Greek–Serbian relations for a decade, remaining in force through World War I until 1924.
Papafi is an under-construction metro station serving Thessaloniki Metro's Line 1 and Line 2. The station is named after the Ioannis Papafis, a Thessaloniki-born merchant, entrepreneur, and national benefactor of Greece. The station is built within the grounds of the Papafio Orphanage, a male-only orphanage financed by Papafis and operated by the Metropolis of Thessaloniki. Construction of this station has been held back by conflicts between the Metropolis and Attiko Metro, the company overseeing its construction. The Metropolis challenged the company's right to the compulsory purchase of 907 square metres (9,760 sq ft) of the orphanage's garden grounds, resulting in a legal battle which reached Greece's Council of State. It is expected to enter service in 2023.
