Sofia metro line 3 to open in October 2019
Construction on the third line of the Sofia metro underground rapid transit system was progressing on schedule, with the first section scheduled to begin operation in October 2019, the head of Sofia city hall company Metropolitan, Stoyan Bratoev, said on February 12.
Initial operations will include five stations between the Graf Ignatiev Boulevard in the city centre and the Krasno Selo district. Three more stations would open between Graf Ignatiev and Vladimir Vazov Boulevard in the eastern part of the city by the end of the year, followed by the stretch from Krasno Selo to Ovcha Koupel district in the first half of 2020, Bratoev said.
Current plans envision further extension of line 3 of the Sofia metro in the eastern part of the city, covering the Levski, Slatina and Geo Milev districts, but construction on those sections is only scheduled to begin in 2021, he said.
The new line will feature newer rail signalling systems compared to lines 1 and 2. As a result, the rolling stock will be more modern Siemens trainsets – not the Russian-made Metrowagonmash ones in use on the other two lines.
A total of 20 trainsets have been ordered, with 13 already delivered, Bratoev said. Driver training is scheduled to begin shortly, with the first test runs on line 3 scheduled for April, he said.
(Siemens metro trains that will be used on the Sofia metro line 3. Photo: metropolitan.bg)
