For the Romanian capital, Bucharest, the pressure of road traffic also determines the authorities to focus their policies on supporting public transport by launching projects of services optimisation and infrastructure development.
For this purpose, in order to execute the projects related to the underground transport network, the Minister of Transport has recently discussed with the EC representatives on the inclusion of Bucharest Metro in the SOP-T programme. In case the authorities elaborate the plan for the exact identification of the reminder to be developed and its value, the underground projects will be directly financed through the SOP-T programme. “The request for the inclusion of the Metro in the SOP Transport financing in the programming period 2007-2013 was communicated to the European Commission. The Commission must approve the change of the SOP Transport structure. If it approves it, EUR 80 Million could be received this year for the underground system”, declared the EU funds Minister Eugen Teodorovici. At the end of April, EC approved the inclusion in SOP-T of two investment projects aiming at the construction of underground lines 4 and 5, the specified implementation term being 2015.
According to the development strategy, the projects creating a network that will ensure the underground transport in Bucharest neighbourhoods including the area adjacent to the capital amount to EUR 8.5 Billion.
With a 69.2km long and double track network (4 lines), Metrorex is one of the most active transport companies in Romania as regards the elaboration of the infrastructure development projects. Although at present the underground system covers approximately 4% of the length of the entire public transport network of the capital, thus it takes over 20% of the total volume of passengers using the public transport means, ensuring the mobility of 600 thousand passengers/day (15 million passengers/year). Due to the services efficiency, the underground records constant increases which determined the authorities to extend the network. For the network extension, Metrorex plans to execute 4 considerable projects by 2020.
The most important project executed at present by the company is the construction of a new line (Line 5), whose total length is 17 km (22 stations), the necessary investments amounting to over EUR 1.4 Billion. At present, works are being executed for the construction of the first section (9 km) which requires investments reaching over EUR 620 Million, and for the second section (7 km), the necessary funds will amount to over EUR 820 Million. According to the project, the first section should be completed by 2015, and for the second one, the construction works will be executed until 2018.
A project intended to attract as many passengers as possible to the underground transport is the project for the extension of line 4 (with two stations), and within the investments a multimodal Park & Ride terminal will be built (in the north-west part of the city) with a capacity of 700 parking spaces. The terminal also includes execution of a bus station and of departure lounges for the persons who use urban transport and an access to the pedestrian passageway leading to Străuleşti metro station. “Through the execution of this terminal, the conditions will be fulfilled to discourage the direct access by car to the centre of the city, making available for passengers an underground parking and the simple access to the urban transport network or the underground network”, declared Gabriel Sburlan, Exploitation Director, Metrorex.
The project of line 6, which is the connection of the underground network to Henri Coandă – Otopeni International Airport, is also under implementation. The value estimated for the construction works of the 14.2km long section reaches over EUR 1 Billion. At present, the project is in the phase of approval of the new technical-economic indicators, the beginning period of the project being 2013-2019.
The long-term development strategy aims at covering the entire metropolitan area, by the construction of an underground network of 150 km line and 180 stations.
Share on:
