The Organisation
The Organisation “HELLENIC ASSOCIATION of TOLL ROAD NETWORK” with the distinctive title “HELLASTRON” was founded in late 2014 with the participation of all modern motorways and toll infrastructures operating in Greece.
The following companies participate in the non-profit organisation “HELLASTRON”:
The organisation was created with the overall aim to promote road transport in Greece and within such framework its object includes inter alia:
In relation to users:
- Continuous improvement of services provided to users of toll road infrastructure.
- Development and Upgrade of the quality of toll road infrastructure, particularly in terms of operation, maintenance and road safety, but also by providing information aiming to achieve better services to users.
- Consolidation, to the extent possible, of the procedures, as well as their wider benefit of toll road users and society.
- Promotion, by any legal means and purpose, of the road safety of toll road infrastructure users and of the Greek road network in general.
- Promotion, by any legal means and purpose, of customer care by the members of the Association, as well as of third parties, public or private.
- Promotion, in general, of the operation of toll road infrastructure and of the interoperability of the various Automatic Toll Collection Systems.
In relation to research and public benefit:
- Undertaking and participation in research projects regarding road systems, independently or in collaboration with educational institutions, Local Authorities or other public or private bodies in Greece and abroad.
- Research, promotion and development of scientific aspects that are related to road transport, road surfaces, road and network construction and maintenance, study and research of road, transport and network needs at national, regional and local level.
- Exchange of know-how with relevant organizations in Greece and abroad and encouragement of introduction of new professionals in the field of road networks, consolidation of the relevant know-how by the members of the Association by offering opportunities for education and training at all levels and specialties.
- Scientific research and analysis of the economic, business and technical problems related to the development of road networks in Greece and abroad, the drawing of conclusions and the formulation of proposals that can help to solve them.
- Addressing issues and promoting positions regarding technical specifications, technological applications and systems in the field of toll road infrastructure.
- Provision of consulting services to other organizations and companies in the public or private sector in Greece or abroad.
In relation to the promotion of road transport:
- Participation in similar international Unions, Bodies and Conferences in relevant European and international organizations, such as the European Association under the name “Association Européenne des Concessionnaires d’Autoroutes et d’ ouvrages à Péage” (ASECAP), the Geneva based “International Road Federation (IRF)” and the American organization entitled “International Bridge Tunnel and the Turnpike Association “(IBTTA).
- Maximization of use of toll road infrastructure by light and heavy vehicles.
- Promotion of issues related to the development of road networks in Greece towards their full modernization and integration into the Trans-European Networks.
- Promotion of Greece as a hub of road transport due to its geographic and economic position.
- Implementation and management of programs or measures financed partially or in full by the Greek State, the European Union or other public or private bodies involved in public or private economy projects, as well as the corresponding resource management.
In relation to the interests of the members of the Association:
- Protection and promotion of the interests of the toll infrastructure, including public and private law bodies, which have undertaken the study, manufacture, financing, operation, maintenance and / or operation of toll road infrastructure or some of the aforementioned, such as only their operation or only their operation and maintenance before the competent bodies of the Greek state, the European Union and internationally.
- Creation of competent and well-informed executives in financing, constructing and managing modern toll road infrastructures and training of experienced technicians (scientific-technical-administrative).
- In general, any legal action or activity that promotes matters relating to the Association’s scope of work in Greece and abroad.
Board of directors
According to the Articles of Association, the Board of Directors of HELLASTRON shall consist of 16 members. Each and every one of the 8 founding members shall designate two authorized representatives to participate in the Board of Directors. The appointment of the present Board of Directors shall expire on the 30th of June 2025.
President
Member of the EC
Manos Vrailas
Chairman of the BoD “NEA ODOS S.A. / KENTRIKI ODOS S.A.”
1st Vice President
Member of the EC
George Sirianos,
CEO, “MOREAS S.A.”
2nd Vice President
Member of the EC
Dimitrios Gatsonis,
Chief Executive Officer
“AEGEAN MOTORWAY S.A.”
General Secretary
Member of the EC
Panayotis Papanikolas
Chief Executive Officer,
“OLYMPIA ODOS S.A.”
Past President
Member of the EC
Konstantinos Koutsoukos,
CEO, “ΕGNATIA ODOS S.A.”
Past President
Member of the EC
Bill M. Halkias
Advisor to the Management
“ATTIKES DIADROMES S.A.”
Panos (Panagiotis – Evgenios) Loukas,
Member of the EC
Managing Director,
“GEFYRA S.A.”
Rodianos S. Antonakopoulos,
Member of the Board
CEO,
“KENTRIKI ODOS S.A. / NEA ODOS S.A.”
Vasiliki Vegiri,
Member of the Board
Chief Operations Officer,
“MOREAS S.A.”
Panagiotis Galanopoulos,
Member of the Board
Chief of Motorway Operations
“NEA ODOS S.A. / KENTRIKI ODOS S.A.”
Antoine Cogez,
Member of the Board
Chief Financial Officer,
GEFYRA SA»
Ioannis Ioannou,
Member of the Board
Deputy Director, Tolls
«ΕGNATIA ODOS S.A.»
Dimitrios Mandalozis,
Member of the Board
Chief Operations Officer,
“AEGEAN MOTORWAY S.A.”
Emmanouil Moustakas,
Member of the Board
Vice Chairman of the Board,
“NEA ODOS S.A. / KENTRIKI ODOS S.A.”
Konstantinos Papandreou,
Member of the Board
Managing Director,
“OLYMPIA ODOS OPERATION S.A.”
Irini Skotidaki,
Member of the Board
Legal Manager,
“ATTIKI ODOS S.A.”
Permanent Committees
COPER I:
Tolling, Charges, Concessions
The main target of the Group is to monitor the developments in Tolling, Charging and Concession issues on a European level and COPER I is responsible for the analysis of the EU practices in the Tolling, Road Charging and Concessions domain.
An important task of the Group is also to monitor European legislation by intervening with comments and suggestions for any new or under review European legislation. COPER I facilitates the exchange of information and best practices between the ASECAP members in the fields of Tolling, Road Charging and Concessions.
During the last period, COPER I had an active role in the under revision Directive 1999/62/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on charging heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures, Directive 2004/52/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the interoperability of electronic road toll systems in the Community, as well as the Decision 2009/750/EC on the definition of the European Electronic Toll Service and its technical elements. The Group’s participation is always performed with the existing Greek Concession and Electronic Tolling environment in mind.
COPER II:
Safety, Security, Environment, Sustainability
The main target of the Group is to monitor the developments in road safety issues on a European level. Statistics and issues that concern all ASECAP members are subject to further analysis and investigation. An important task of the Group is to also monitor European legislation by intervening with comments and suggestions in any new or under review European legislation. The approach to environmental issues is through the provision of appropriate infrastructure to reduce journey times and emissions as well as to support environmentally friendly vehicles through infrastructure. Some of the topics discussed over the last period were:
(a) the unification of the two European Safety directives of Tunnels and Open Air sections, (b) Ghost Drivers, (c) the Life Saving Chain and (d) EcoRoads project.
COPER III:
Intelligent Transport Systems – ITS
The Group is active in monitoring the developments in the field of ITS at international and mainly European level regarding pilot applications and projects, development of standards, implementation of new regulations and policies. The team leader participates in the ASECAP Standing Working Group Coper III (ITS) as a permanent member.
At the same time, the group is active in recording common issues of the Hellastron members in the field of ITS and in submitting proposals and technical solutions where applicable.
COPER IV
Transport statistics / Analysis
Scope of work for the Group is the collection of statistics for each road project, related to infrastructure, traffic, revenues, O&M costs, road and safety, environment, employment, etc. Also, the Group develops Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the above-mentioned factors for each project and carries out benchmarking between projects, as well as on a national level between Greece and other countries.
Collaboration with International Associations
HELLASTRON aims to transfer know-how and best practices from abroad to Greece and to promote international progress in the field of transport through the establishment of a national motorway network in Greece. In this context, it participates in relevant European and World Organizations, representing our country:
ASsociation Européenne des Concessionnaires d’ Autoroutes et d’ ouvrages à Péage (ASECAP) – European Association of Operators of Toll Road Infrastructures, with headquarters in Brussels, Belgium http://www.asecap.com/
International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), with headquarters in Washington DC, U.S.A. https://www.ibtta.org/
Established in 1948, IRF is a membership-based organisation, representing leading corporate and institutional players drawn from the road and mobility sectors worldwide. Its mission is to promote the development of roads and road networks that enable access and sustainable mobility for all. Its approach is centred on key strategic components of knowledge transfer & information sharing, connecting people, businesses and organisations and policy & advocacy. Through its Expert Groups and Committees that address key economic, environmental and social issues, IRF is qualified and able to make a decisive global contribution to the transport sector. As a not-for-profit organisation, based in Switzerland, IRF provides a neutral and global platform for the road and mobility sectors. https://www.irfnet.ch/
INITIATIVES
Road Safety
- Common Emergency Phone Number with identification of geographic location of the caller, and transferring of call to the corresponding Traffic Control Center.
- Common National Traffic Radio Frequency, operating in both open road and tunnels to inform users of traffic conditions and incidents.
- Uniform Signage and Pictograph standards on all Tunnels.
Development of ITS schemes related to “EU digitalization”
- Promotion of technology applications which can secure tax compliance in relation to electronic tolling Revision of rules on access to License Plate (LP) database to promote “lifting the bars” on toll plazas-Update of LP database
- Co-operation of billing systems
- Information on traffic conditions on the basis of cell phone probe
- Creation of a National Access Point for traffic management
- Development of C-ITS
Redefine European legal framework for Concessions
- Flexibility on constructing new works to maintain level of service
- Allowance for modifications to basic parameters (Toll Levels and Concession Period) when no other alternative is viable
- Allowance for co-operated networks (Park & Ride, Mass Transit)
- Promotion of De-Congestion Measures
- Incentives to promote new investments on Concessions
- Readjustments due to Environmental Considerations
- Regulation of Corporate Social Responsibility measures
- Definition of Key Performance Indicators and conditional variations