Study Visit: Thessaloniki, Region of Central Macedonia Pt.2
Thessaloniki Smart Mobility Living Lab
To conclude the classroom day, participants were guided through Thessaloniki Smart Mobility Living Lab (ThSMLL) by Dr. Josep Maria Salanova Grau and CERTH/HIT’s colleagues. ThSMLL is one of Europe’s largest Living Labs, serving as a platform for testing technological and innovative mobility solutions. It integrates data from various sources (e.g., Bluetooth detectors, loops and cameras, shared bikes, floating car data, and mobile phone data) and provides content visualization along with a variety of services for public authorities, operators, and end users. These services include routing, traffic status prediction, fleet management, taxi demand analysis, and bike-sharing infrastructure monitoring.
The Good Practices presented in detail during the study visit are just some examples of the tools and services integrated into ThSMLL. Other notable examples include:
- The SUMO model, used for autonomous vehicle and cooperative systems testing, presented by Dr. Evangelos Mintsis
- The 15-minute city paradigm for Thessaloniki and the car-sharing decision-support system, presented by Dr. Josep Maria Salanova Grau
- Tools for city authorities to design and allocate logistics operations and infrastructures, as well as monitor – in real-time - logistics operations efficiency and greenness within the city, presented by Mr. Dimos Touloumidis.
A behind-the-scenes tour of Thessaloniki’s new automated metro
The visit included an exclusive tour of Thessaloniki’s newly launched automated metro system, operated by THEMA. Participants explored the metro headquarters, depot, and maintenance facilities, gaining insight into its operations and advanced control systems that together form the system’s ‘brain’.
A Fully Automated, High-Capacity Metro Line
Thessaloniki’s 9km metro line is fully automated, joining other pioneering European cities such as Copenhagen and Milan where THEMA is operating similar systems.
Key highlights of this groundbreaking new mass transit system in Thessaloniki include:
- Designed for efficiency and rapid response to demand shifts.
- At present, it carries 90,000–100,000 passengers daily, with a peak capacity of 15,000 passengers per hour per direction.
- A 5km extension is set to be operational by the end of the year.
This advanced metro system plays a crucial role in Thessaloniki’s transition toward sustainable urban mobility, reducing congestion and improving public transport efficiency with the compounding benefits to the wider mobility system expected to become apparent in the coming months and years.
Aside from this exclusive peek behind the curtain of the new metro, the Thessaloniki study visit provided invaluable insights into the role of data-driven solutions in shaping the future of urban mobility planning. By partaking in discussions with real-world applications, participants gained a comprehensive understanding of how innovative traffic management strategies and high-tech public transport systems contribute to a smarter and more sustainable mobility system in Thessaloniki and the surrounding region. The REFOCUS project will continue to facilitate knowledge exchange with our next planned study visit in the city of Stockholm and will ensure that best practices in sustainable mobility planning are shared and adapted across Europe.