Title: Sofia‘s Metro Expansion: 75,000 More Passengers Daily and Improved Connections
Metropolitan Sofia photo:št lanzó writer Prof. Lyubomir Braтоев
The executive director of ‘Metropolitan’ announced that the metro extension to ‘Slatina‘ will accommodate an additional 75,000 passengers daily, connecting it to key transport points and reducing car entry into Sofia by 5,000 vehicles a day.
Prof. Lyubomir Braтоev, who has been overseeing the metro expansion for another consecutive year, shared that Sofia’s metro is currently the second most popular in Europe, behind only Oslo’s. This ranking considers factors such as client satisfaction, number of stations, connectivity to important transportation hubs (airports, harbors), convenience, design, cleanliness, passenger flow, signage, aesthetics, and exterior appearance.
Building the metro, Prof. Braтоev acknowledged, is challenging, with constant discussions, debates, and disciplinary maintenance necessary due to its temperamental nature. Despite these hurdles, he emphasized that the metro should run smoothly, be clean, follow schedules, and provide good service to create a pleasant passenger experience.
The professional shared that despite political instability, the metro project has remained unaffected. He attributes this continuity to the support from various mayors, municipal councils, the Ministry of Transport, and the Cabinet. However, Prof. Bratoev expressed concerns about funding issues, indexations, and geological conditions posing challenges to the project’s progress.
When asked about his favorite station, Prof. Bratoev humorously replied that every station is like his child, making it difficult to choose a favorite. He praised several stations, including ‘Serdica‘, ‘Sofia Airport’, ‘Alexander Malinov’, and ‘NDK-2’, which have been nominated for awards, but emphasized that beauty is not limited to these stations alone.
The most challenging stations to build were ‘Serdica’, ‘Orlov Most‘, and ‘NDK-2’, while ‘Mladost‘ was relatively easier. Prof. Bratoev explained that most of the metro is underground, with 95% of the underground sections lying below the groundwater level. In some cases, like the ‘NDK-2’ station, the water column is as deep as 24 meters, posing significant construction obstacles.
The extension to ‘Vladislav Vrazh’ is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, with testing scheduled for the first quarter of 2026. This new section will accommodate around 46,000 passengers, making the third line serve approximately 200,000 passengers in total. Construction on the ‘Slatina’ extension is underway, with about 24-25% complete. Although a recent incident damaged the tunnel-boring machine, which temporarily halted progress, it is expected to resume in late January or early February.
The extension to ‘Slatina’ aims to serve approximately 75,000 passengers daily. Four potential routes were considered, but the final choice was made based on factors such as passenger demand and current traffic congestion. Although some residents may protest against specific station locations, the rules for station placement take precedence over personal preferences.
In addition to the ‘Slatina’ extension, another project involves adding two stations to the ‘Lyulin’ metro line, bringing it to the ‘Tsaritsa Yoanna’ Blvd. and the By-pass Highway. This project is currently seeking public tenders, with two more stations planned for the following year.
Parallel to these projects, Metropolitan is also preparing a public tender for a feasibility study and design of a 2 km metro extension from ‘Vitosha‘ station to the Sofia Ring Road. This line will feature five stations and an intermodal node connecting the ring road, the ‘South Bus Station’, a multi-story parking garage, and both metro lines.
Metropolitan also plans to expand the metro to the north, connecting it to the Botevgradsko and Sofia Ring Road highways. This expansion will accommodate approximately 28,000 passengers daily and include a multi-story parking garage with 800 spaces. The project is expected to be completed within three years.
