Sofia Metro

Sofia Metro; Софийско метро
Background
Owner	City of Sofia
Locale	Sofia, Bulgaria
Transit type	Rapid transit
Number of lines	1
Number of stations	14
Daily ridership	190 000
Chief executive	Stoyan Bratoev
Headquarters	121, Knyaz Boris I str.
Website	metropolitan.bg
Operation
Began operation	1998
Operator(s)	Metropolitan-Sofia JSC
Number of vehicles	24
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	Third rail, 825V DC
Top speed	90 km/h (56 mph)
Route map (Line 1)

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The Sofia Metropolitan (Bulgarian: Софийско метро, translit. Sofiysko metro) is the underground urban railway network servicing the Bulgarian capital Sofia. It is the first and only network of this kind in Bulgaria. As of September 7, 2009 it has been extended to 14 stations and a total length of 18.0 km.

[edit] History

Planned since the 1960s, the building of Sofia Metro was not officially launched until the late 1990s mainly because the city did not experience an urgent need for an underground system and lacked funding. Another factor was the construction works depth — being one of the oldest cities in Europe, Sofia contains many historical layers right underneath its very core. Evidence of antiquity can be clearly seen at the Serdika Station, a mixture of unearthed Thracian and Roman ruins and modern architecture. During the construction of the National Palace of Culture in 1981, two metro stations part of the future Line 2 and the tunnels connecting them were built.

The construction of the system began from the areas that experience the most of the traffic in the capital city, where the largest streams of passengers form, reaching up to 40,000 at rush hour.

[edit] System

Map of the Sofia Metro

Serdika station

Musagenitsa Station

[edit] Line 1

The first section of line 1 was finished on 28 January 1998, with 5 stations and a length of 6.5 km from Slivnitsa Boulevard through Lyulin to K. Velichkov Boulevard. Opalchenska station was opened on 17 September 1999 and Serdika station on St Nedelya Square followed on 31 October 2000, making the total length 8.1 km. In April 2003, the functioning section was lengthened with 1.8 km and so reaching Obelya housing estate. The Line 1 lengthening continued in 2005 (as planned in 2004), from St Nedelya Square through the centre of the city to Interped World Trade Center in Izgrev (station Frédéric Joliot-Curie), 4.8 km in length, 3 stations. Meanwhile the construction of a new section of the same line started in 2006 from Interpred to Mladost 1 housing estate, 3.2 km, 3 stations. The completion term of the first three new stations was autumn 2007, but eventually there was a big delay. As a result the second section from the first line (Vasil Levski stadium - Mladost 1) became operational on May 8, 2009, briefly running separately from the initial line. The missing linking part between Serdika and Vasil Levski stadium opened on September 7, 2009.^[1]

Two additional branch of line 1 are planned — from Mladost 1 to Sofia Airport (7.2 km, 6 stations) and from Mladost I to Business Park Sofia (4 stations). The construction of the first two stations of the extension to the airport began on 15 February 2009, and is scheduled for completion for late 2012. The line to the airport will be completely finished and in operation in 2014. The branch to Mladost 4 and the Ring road still has no funding and won't be started until at least 2011.

Main Line

Obelya (Обеля) - operational since 20.04.2003
Slivnitsa (Сливница) - operational since 28.01.1998
Lyulin (Люлин) - operational since 28.01.1998
Zapaden park (Западен парк) - operational since 28.01.1998
Vardar (Вардар) - operational since 28.01.1998
Konstantin Velichkov (Константин Величков) - operational since 28.01.1998
Opalchenska (Опълченска) - operational since 17.09.1999
Serdika (Сердика) - operational since 31.10.2000
St. Kliment Ohridski Sofia University (СУ „Св. Климент Охридски“) - operational since 07.09.2009
Vasil Levski stadium (Стадион „Васил Левски“) - operational since 08.05.2009
Joliot-Curie (Жолио Кюри) - operational since 08.05.2009
G.M.Dimitrov (Г. М. Димитров) - operational since 08.05.2009
Musagenitsa (Мусагеница) - operational since 08.05.2009
Mladost 1 (Младост 1) - operational since 08.05.2009

Northern branch

Mladost 3 (Младост 3) - in construction; to be opened 05.2012
Tsarigradsko Chaussee (Цариградско шосе) - in construction; to be opened 05.2012
Druzhba 2 - construction begins 2012; to be opened 2014
Druzhba 1 - construction begins 2012; to be opened 2014
Christopher Columbus Blvd. - construction begins 2012; to be opened 2014
Sofia Airport - construction begins 2012; to be opened 2014

Southern branch - projected

Alexander Malinov Blvd. at Billa and McDonald's - construction after 2014
Alexander Malinov Blvd. at Hit supermarket - construction after 2014
Mladost 4 - construction after 2014
Okolovrasten Pat (Ring Road)- construction after 2014

[edit] Line 2

Construction of Line 2 between Nadezhda junction and Lozenets district, via the Central Railway Station and the National Palace of Culture started on 14 December 2008, length 11 km, 11 stations. Both stations that were built in 1980s will be completed. With works underway, the construction of the line between Obelya residential District and Nadezhda junction started in February 2010. The whole line should be operational by August 2012. Sofiyski metropoliten has placed an order for 18 new trains, expecting to put them in operation in 2012.^[2]

There is also a planned branching of the line towards Iliyantsy in the vicinity of Nadezhda junction.

Main Line

Obelya (Обеля) - will be used for link between the depot and the second line.
Lomsko Chaussee (Ломско шосе) in Vrabnitsa housing estate - to be opened 08.2012
Beli Dunav (Бели Дунав) On the border between Nadezhda 3 and Nadezhda 4 housing estates - to be opened 08.2012
Nadezhda (Надежда) On Lomsko shose boulevard - to be opened 08.2012
Han Kubrat (Хан Кубрат) On the border between Nadezhda 1 and Nadezhda 2 housing estates - to be opened 08.2012
Knyaginya Maria-Louise (Княгиня Мария-Луиза) near Klementinska hospital - to be opened 08.2012
Central Railway Station (Централна гара) - to be opened 08.2012
Lavov Most (Лъвов мост) - opening 2012
St.Nedelya square (Света Неделя) - transfer station between the two lines, to be opened 08.2012
NDK (НДК ) - to be opened 08.2012
St.Naum (Св.Наум) - to be opened 08.2012
James Bourchier (Джеймс Баучер) - to be opened 2012
Nikola Vaptsarov (Никола Вапцаров)- projected
Hladilnika (Хладилника)- projected

Iliyantsi branch - projected

Lev Tolstoy (Лев Толстой)
Svoboda (Свобода)
Iliyantsi (Илиянци)

[edit] Line 3

The line is included in the city plan, but there is still conceptual dispute over this line. Station names, locations and rolling stock are subject to change. There are no scheduled construction works in near future.

Main line - projected