Kalamaria: New bus routes around the Metro

From Tuesday 1 September 2026, new and modified bus routes came into effect in Thessaloniki, as part of the new transport planning for Kalamaria around the Metro, as announced by the Thessaloniki Transport Works Organisation (OSETH). An exception was the special Airport line X3 «Metro Station Mikra – Macedonia Airport», which started earlier, on Thursday 27 August 2026 at 15:00, the same day the Metro extension to Kalamaria opened for passengers. The changes involve both new routes and restructuring of existing ones, aiming, according to OSETH, to connect the bus network with the new Metro stations Mikra and Nea Elvetia.

According to OSETH, from 1 September 2026 the routes M2 «Metro Station Mikra – IKEA Bus Terminal», 6A «Metro Station Nea Elvetia – Kalamaria – Metro Station Mikra», 6B «Metro Station Nea Elvetia – Kifissia – Metro Station Mikra» and 7T «Kalamaria Local» are in operation. In the same package of changes are routes 33, 33A and 33B, connecting The Mart with Agios Panteleimon and Venizelou (33A via Macedonia Shopping Centre, 33B via CDI), as well as 39, 39A, 39B and 39S, starting from Kifissia or Agios Ioannis towards The Mart and the Courts. The M2, as OSETH notes, is part of the urban fare zone and its ticket costs 0.60 euros, while the X3, as a special Airport route, has a separate price of 2 euros. Detailed information on routes and stops in the area is published by OSETH on its website.

For residents of Kalamaria and passengers around the new stations, the change means that Mikra and Nea Elvetia now function as bus-Metro interchange hubs. The M2 allows direct travel from Mikra station to the IKEA area, while the 6A and 6B connect Nea Elvetia with Kalamaria and Kifissia respectively, without requiring routes through the older lines. The changes to line 33 and line 39, with their variants towards Macedonia Shopping Centre or via CDI, aim to maintain the connections to eastern Thessaloniki that the previous routes served. The entire restructuring affects traffic in the area, as stops and departure points for routes that were in effect before the Metro extension are changing.

OSETH has not announced so far a specific timetable for assessing the new network nor additional changes beyond those already in effect from 27 August and 1 September 2026. The organisation urges passengers to take note of the new dates and routes when planning their journeys. The question remains whether the new routes will be further modified according to passenger traffic, a matter on which there is currently no official statement. More information about transport developments in the area will be published in the Greece section as further information from OSETH becomes available.