Metro rail line to Business Park Sofia to open on May 8 – mayor
The Sofia Metro underground railway line extension to Business Park Sofia will open on May 8, a day before the European Union celebrates Europe Day, the Bulgarian capital city’s mayor said on April 17 after inspecting construction.
Building of the 2.7km extension that will link the Mladost 1 residential area with Mladost 4 began in April 2013.
The new line will have three stations. The first will be at a point close to Andrei Lyapchev Boulevard and Balan Street, the second at the intersection of Alexander Malinov and A Moskov boulevards and the third at Business Park Sofia.
Building the line has cost close to 86 million leva, of which 79 million leva came from the EU’s transport operational programme and the rest from the municipal budget. The work was awarded to two separate consortiums to enable speedier construction, the municipality said.
According to Sofia mayor Yordanka Fandukova, it is expected that the three new stations will serve about 32 000 passengers a day, which is expected to cut road traffic by about a quarter, meaning about 6000 fewer cars a day.
Parking for 110 cars is being built at Business Park Sofia. The parking area is expected to be ready in late May.
(Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
