After more than twenty years of planning, financial setbacks and construction delays, Greece has completed the Central Greece Motorway (E65), one of the country’s most significant transport infrastructure projects.
The opening of the final 46-kilometre northern section connects Kalambaka with Grevena and the Egnatia Motorway, creating a continuous north-south corridor through the heart of mainland Greece.
The inauguration marks the completion of the 182.1-kilometre E65 motorway, extending to 206.5 kilometres when connected to the existing Athens-Thessaloniki motorway. Developed by GEK TERNA under a concession agreement, the project also includes the long-term operation and maintenance of the Scarfia–Raches Fthiotida section.
Beyond completing another motorway, the project closes a chapter that began in 2007, when Greece launched an ambitious programme of motorway concessions aimed at modernising its road network.
In 2013, authorities concluded that only the central 79-kilometre Xyniada-Trikala section was financially viable, with traffic opening only in 2017. The southern and northern sections remained uncertain for years as the government sought additional financing and approval from the European Commission under state aid rules.
The southern section, completed in April 2024, required an investment of approximately €330 million, financed through Greece’s National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF). Construction of the northern Trikala-Egnatia section, valued at €442 million, was ultimately supported by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.
The E65 forms part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), linking Greece’s main north-south motorway with the Egnatia Motorway, one of Southeastern Europe’s principal east-west transport corridors.
The new connection strengthens freight transport between the Port of Igoumenitsa, Greece’s western gateway to Central Europe, and the Port of Volos on the Aegean coast, creating a shorter and more efficient logistics route for both passengers and cargo.
Significant reductions in travel times
The journey between Lamia and the Egnatia Motorway now takes approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, while travel from Athens to Grevena or Metsovo has been reduced to around four hours.
Trips from the Greek capital to Kozani and Kastoria now take roughly four and a half hours, while freight moving from Piraeus Port to the Western Balkans can save up to two hours.
