Before I turn my attention to the Thessaloniki Metro, I want to look briefly at the Greek kiosk (περίπτερο) again.
I wrote about the institution in 23/005 LinNG. An article just published in Greek Reporter goes over the declining numbers again. The article is a little bit romanticized too, describing the περιπτεράς (kiosk licensee) as our neighbourhood source of news, gossip, advice and amateur psychology. In my experience the περιπτεράδες were at best indifferent; at their worst, they were downright rude and unhelpful. In fairness, I should add that with the customer standing and the περιπτεράς seated behind hanging newspapers and magazines, normal conversation was somewhat hindered.
Here is the article, which also includes an embedded video clip: https://greekreporter.com/2023/09/28/greek-periptero-kiosk-history/
The περίπτερο may be going the way of the Post Office and High Street banks, but περιπτεράδες will continue to exist in the form of small convenience shops like 4All which are open till midnight or, in some cases, 24/7.
Up here in the neglected and ridiculously labelled co-capital (συμπρωτεύουσα), the end is in sight for the much-awaited Thessaloniki Metro. The latest update aims for a grand opening in the second half of 2024 – yet another postponement. One article has pointed out that when infrastructure projects suffer from too many delays, realities on the ground can change too. For instance, when the metro was proposed over 30 years ago, the city’s orientation was from the centre to the east. Since the 90s, however, there has been a big influx of Albanians and people from the north coast of the Black Sea. They have found cheaper accommodation in places like Polichni, Efkarpia, Neapoli and other places west of the city centre. The result is the city now has much bigger population to its west, but no metro for them. There are proposals to extend westwards, but I won’t be alive to see them.
Google Kouvelas’s Hole and you won’t find much, but google “τρύπα του Κούβελα” and a Kathimerini article pops up. It outlines the shameful delays, litigation and bankruptcies that plagued Thessaloniki’s Metro from the late 80s. till 2015. You’d think Kouvelas and his family would hang their heads in shame, but his son or grandson is still in politics.
This is the Kathimerini article: https://www.kathimerini.gr/society/843980/apo-tin-trypa-toy-koyvela-eos-simera/
This article is from a Greek online publication called The Opinion: https://www.theopinion.gr/reportaz/metro-thessalonikis-i-trypa-toy-koyvela-o-giorikas-ki-o-kostikas-kai-oi-moysamades/
Even more acerbic is the author of the next article. He points out two shocking realities: 1) after 35 years, there will be no line linking the KTEL coach station in the west of the city with the airport; 2) taken away from us for the 2004 Olympic Games, the ferry services linking the port of Thessaloniki with the islands have still not been restored. https://www.anatropinews.gr/2021/06/17/1986-2021-triantapente-chronia-tin/
The above article is worth opening if only to view the photograph. This is where the name Kouvelas comes in. Sotiris Kouvelas was mayor of Thessaloniki between 1987 and 1980. Shortly afterwards he was Secretary of State for the Environment (there’s a laugh), Zoning and Public Works (there’s a potential bribe). He is remembered for two related things. First, he had a huge hole dug between the University and the Exhibition Centre. Secondly, he broke the state’s monopoly of the airwaves, creating FM100 and TV100, a local radio station and TV channel respectively. This is where the picture in the above article comes in. It boldly states: Metro Construction Works Funding FM100. And people bought it! At the time I said to people that in the 70s the cost of building a UK motorway was £1 million per mile. How could advertising revenue from a local radio station possibly finance the tunnelling of an underground railway? Unsurprisingly, it failed. I have tried to find out the costs. One article I looked at claimed that the cost of building the most recent extension of the Madrid Metro was about €78 million a kilometre. So, for just 9.5 km of tunnels and 13 stations, the costs of our metro must be approaching €800 million.
Referring to the time wasted, the author concludes that in 1988 he was young; now he is approaching pension age. In my case, I was newly married. We had no children. I am now retired. And my children are old enough to give me grandchildren.