The Sofia Metro celebrates 28 years since it began operating, during which time it has become the backbone of public transport in the Bulgarian capital. A notable detail is that the network has been serving Sofia International Airport for several years, while in Bucharest the underground connection to the airport is still under construction.
Since the inauguration of the first sections, the metro has established itself as a safe, reliable, and sustainable mode of transport, and at certain times it has even been the only form of functional public transport in the city. Today, the network serves hundreds of thousands of passengers daily and plays a central role in Sofia’s urban mobility.
The management of the Sofia Metro has announced that it is in constant dialogue with the contractors involved in the network expansion, with the aim of quickly resolving any issues that arise on the construction sites and adhering to the schedule for the completion of the new sections and stations.
Planned expansions and objectives until 2027
By the end of this year, Sofia residents will be able to benefit from approximately 3 kilometers of new metro line and three stations, built under Vladimir Vazov Boulevard, as well as the introduction of new trains.
After the completion of the ongoing projects, the authorities estimate the following results by the end of 2027:
- the total length of the network will reach 61 km;
- the number of stations will increase to 57;
- the metro will provide over 45% of urban public transport;
- daily traffic will exceed 650,000 passengers.
A brief history of the Sofia Metro
The first plans to build a metro in Sofia date back to the 1960s, but the project only began to take shape in the last decades of the socialist period. Work on the first tunnels began in the late 1980s, in a difficult economic and political context.
Commercial operation of the metro officially began on January 28, 1998, with the opening of the first section. The network developed gradually, accelerating significantly after 2000, mainly due to European funding.
Currently, the Sofia Metro consists of three lines, of which:
- Line 1 and Line 2 form the main north-south axis of the city;
- Line 3, the newest, is fully automated and equipped with modern control and signaling systems.
The network serves the main residential, administrative, and economic areas of the capital, as well as Sofia Airport, becoming an essential element of the urban infrastructure.
The integration of the airport into the metro network was achieved in a relatively short period of time. Work began at the end of 2012 and was completed in 2015.
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