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The future on rails
Metro Athens and Thessaloniki
The new metro in Thessaloniki and the extension of the Athens metro line to Piraeus – these are two hugely exciting projects that Schrack Seconet successfully implemented in collaboration with its long-standing Greek partner, Zarifopoulos. The two metro systems not only provide significant relief for traffic in Greece’s two largest cities but also impress with their state-of-the-art technical equipment.
8,900
multi sensor detector MTD 533X
25
Fire alarm control panels
720
manual call points
Good things come to those who wait: it took several decades for the new Thessaloniki metro to finally begin its operation. After construction began in 2006, the project faced repeated delays, first due to the financial crisis and then because of extensive archaeological finds. Now, however, the one million residents across the entire metropolitan area can look forward to a metro system that ranks among the most secure in the world.
300,000 archaeological finds
During the significantly extended construction period of the metro, more than 300,000 artefacts were uncovered. Many of the objects were left in place and can now be viewed in the stations – making every journey on the underground a journey through the city’s past.
Modern safety standards
The metro’s technical infrastructure stands in striking contrast to the impressive ancient sites. In line with the latest security standards, it operates driverless.
The fire detection and alarm systems at the 13 stations on the central line and in the two buildings housing the administration and the train depot also meet the highest requirements. The systems were implemented by two companies that have already collaborated successfully on many projects in Greece: Schrack Seconet and the Greek security and safety specialist Zarifopoulos. The latter has been successful in the market for more than 50 years and, with eleven branches in Greece, and further ones abroad, ranks among the country’s leading providers of security and fire safety technology.
Full redundancy
Here too, the collaboration between the two companies proved to be a sound decision right from the start. As part of the tender process, the client had specified a redundant configuration for the CPUs in the fire alarm control panels as a requirement. “Schrack Seconet’s systems not only met this requirement but also ensured redundancy for all electronic modules in the control panels, which was a key factor for the client when awarding the contract,” emphasises Giannis Meletiadis. As Deputy CTO at Zarifopoulos, he is responsible for the northern region of Greece and, consequently, for this project.
„Our aim is for systems to operate with a high level of reliability for many years to come. Certificates and reports only cover a small part of what really matters: for us, a project is successful if a customer remains satisfied throughout its entire lifecycle.”
Giannis Meletiadis - Deputy CTO Zarifopoulos
Smart multi sensor detector
Schrack Seconet's multi-sensor detectors are a key component of preventive fire protection. "Smoke and heat detection is individually tailored to the conditions in each specific area and programmed on a time-dependent basis. Thanks to intelligent CUBUS levelling, the sensitivity of the detection automatically adapts to the ambient conditions, thereby minimising deceptive alarms,” explains Jürgen Tichy, Area Sales Manager at Schrack Seconet.
The fire alarm control panels are located in the respective server rooms at all stations; there is also a local monitoring room where all events are indicated via Secolog IP mapping and control software. In the event of an emergency, on-site staff ensure that, depending on the situation, all necessary steps are taken and, if required, an orderly evacuation is initiated.
„We are proud that our solutions have enabled us to contribute to security on two of Europe’s most modern underground systems, which are used by thousands of passengers every day. These two projects underscore the high reliability of our systems in live operation and their exceptional quality, which also meets the most stringent safety requirements. “
Jürgen Tichy - Area Sales Manager Schrack Seconet
Smooth operation throughout the system's entire service life
All systems went live following a grand opening ceremony and have been operating smoothly ever since. “Our aim is for systems to operate with a high level of reliability for many years to come. Certificates and reports only cover a small part of what really matters: for us, a project is successful if a customer remains satisfied throughout its entire lifecycle,” emphasises Giannis Meletiadis.
Extension of the Athens Metro
At the same time and in parallel to the project in Thessaloniki, the collaboration between Zarifopoulos and Schrack Seconet proved its worth on a second metro construction project in Greece: in Athens, the existing Line 3 was to be extended by six stations to the port of Piraeus. “Given the high volume of local traffic, this was an extremely important extension for the Greek capital,” explains Giannis Meletiadis.
Schrack Seconet and Zarifopoulos implemented the fire alarm systems using the same philosophy and largely the same components as for the Thessaloniki metro. The contract was awarded slightly later here than in Thessaloniki, and the project was split into two phases. As there were no external delays here, this extension was even able to open earlier than the Thessaloniki Metro.
Maintenance costs
Zarifopoulos is also responsible for ongoing maintenance on both metro lines: “A construction project may run for a few years, but ongoing maintenance means a long-term partnership. We can see that on both metro lines, the systems are operating with a high degree of stability and that the nearly 9,000 fire detectors are functioning without internal faults, and that is exactly what matters to us.”
For Jürgen Tichy of Schrack Seconet, infrastructure projects of this type are also flagship projects: “We are proud that our solutions have enabled us to contribute to security on two of Europe’s most modern underground systems, which are used by thousands of passengers every day. These two projects underscore the high reliability of our systems in live operation and their exceptional quality, which also meets the most stringent safety requirements.”
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