Greece’s state-owned Metro operator was aware of building deformations linked to construction of Athens Metro Line 4 as early as April, while confidential correspondence reveals that inspections are planned for at least 20 apartment buildings in the affected area, according to documents obtained by To Vima.
The revelations come as residents of Kypseli, a densely populated district in Athens, continue to seek access to technical reports and project records concerning serious damage to buildings near the tunnel construction site.
Four days after a court ruling in their favor, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has called an emergency news conference for Monday at 10 a.m. The announcement was made Sunday evening without prior notice to the Athens municipality or representatives of the residents, who subsequently emailed the ministry requesting permission to attend.
SYRIZA President Rena Dourou met with residents of Kypseli whose homes and apartment buildings have been damaged by construction work on Athens Metro Line 4. Wednesday, September 30, 2026. (Michalis Papanikolaou/EUROKINISSI)
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Residents have been seeking documents about the project and the damage for seven months, despite repeated requests and a recent court decision supporting their efforts.
Confidential letter lists 20 buildings for inspection
A key document is a letter dated July 28, 2026, sent by Elliniko Metro, the state-owned company responsible for the project, to Technical Chamber of Greece President Giorgos Stasinos. Marked “CONFIDENTIAL,” it was also sent to Deputy Infrastructure and Transport Minister Nikos Tachiaos.
The letter concerns an agreement for expert inspections of buildings located along the fifth section of the tunnel boring machine’s route on Line 4A.
It lists the first 14 apartment buildings in order of inspection priority and states that a subsequent document would provide the schedule for the remaining six buildings covered by the agreement.
The correspondence therefore identifies a total of 20 buildings for inspection, exceeding the figure of 14 cited publicly by the deputy minister responsible for the project.
The same figure appears in an Elliniko Metro decision concerning its cooperation with the Technical Chamber of Greece, which was published on the government’s Diavgeia transparency portal on Sept. 1.
Residents still awaiting critical technical records
The dispute also centers on residents’ efforts to obtain documentation detailing how the damage developed and how authorities and contractors responded.
Among the requested records is the project logbook, which documents the timing and progression of ground subsidence that caused serious damage to buildings.
Residents are also seeking expert assessments concerning the fifth tunnel section between Kypseli and Dikastiria, as well as reports on restarting the tunnel boring machine (TBM).
Other requested documents include the contractor consortium’s proposed restart method, Elliniko Metro’s evaluations, records and assessments of subsidence, vulnerability studies covering all levels, and geotechnical studies.
The residents have repeatedly requested these materials over the past seven months. Their demands have gained renewed attention following the court ruling in their favor.
Metro operator raised concerns in April
A separate letter from Elliniko Metro to the contractor consortium, dated May 6, 2026, indicates that the company was already concerned about the building deformations and related incidents in April.
The letter refers to the suspension of tunnel excavation on April 23, eight days after an incident in which wet concrete surged out of the ground of an abandoned building and flooded the surrounding area.
The tunnel boring machine was halted on May 8, two days after the letter was sent, and has remained at the same location since then.
In its correspondence, Elliniko Metro attributed the suspension to the contractor’s failure to eliminate the recurring problems associated with increased building deformations and related incidents.
The company said the situation was causing serious concern because of the phenomenon’s systematic and repeated nature. It also stressed that the incidents were not confined to a single location but had a broad geographical and temporal extent.