EC approves 368M euro for Sofia Metro expansion
The European Commission said on April 26 that it has approved the allocation of 368 million euro from the European Regional Development Fund for the third line of the metro rail system in the Bulgarian capital city of Sofia.
The money will be used on the first stage of construction, which aims to build about eight km of new line and eight new stations, as well as the purchase of 20 metro trains.
Sofia Metro’s third line will link the residential districts of Souhata Reka, Hadzhi Dimitar, Krasno Selo, Slavia, Belite Brezi, Lagera and Hipodruma with the centre of Sofia.
In total, the third line of the Sofia Metro is envisioned to have 18 stations, linking to the two existing lines at the Sofia University and National Palace of Culture (NDK), according to the plans by Sofia city hall company Metropolitan, which also include further extensions to the first two metro lines.
Construction on the first stage of the new line began in January, with the initial eight-stop section due to be completed in 2019. The first stage of construction will cost 848 million leva (about 433.6 million euro), the Transport Ministry said in a statement at the time.
(Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
