Subject: Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-03-01 From: "HR-Net News Distribution Manager" CONTENTS [01] Greek banks lowered borrowing from Eurosystem in January [02] Three new metro stations to be delivered in two years, says Attiko Metro CEO --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [01] Greek banks lowered borrowing from Eurosystem in January Greek banks lowered their borrowing from the Eurosystem to 63 billion euros in January, from 66.7 billion at the end of 2016. Borrowing from the emergency lending assistance mechanism (ELA) fell to 42.8 billion euros in the first month of 2017, from 43.7 billion in December 2016, while direct borrowing from the European Central Bank fell to 20.2 billion euros in January from 22.9 billion in December. [02] Three new metro stations to be delivered in two years, says Attiko Metro CEO Three new metro stations on Line 3 which is currently being expanded will be delivered in the first quarter of 2019, the CEO of the company implementing the project, Attiko Metro, said on Wednesday. Line 3 currently connects Athens' international airport with the western suburb of Aghia Marina passing through the city center but when completed, it will reach the port of Piraeus. Speaking at a press conference to brief journalists on the progress made and the timeline for the completion of the project, Theodoros Papadopoulos said the stations which will be ready in 2019 will be Aghia Varvara, Korydallos and Nikea. He refused to comment on past delays but said that a realistic timeframe for the completion of the construction is the end of 2020 or start of 2021. The original timeframe foresaw the completion of Line 3 (with all six stations) in the second half of 2017. However, the mayors of the regions affected by the project asked the company to deliver it in sections, to limit the daily problems facing their citizens from the construction site. This was done for purely technical reasons and not because of financial problems of Attiko Metro, as it was said," Korydallos mayor Stavros Kassimatis said.