Sofia Metro

Infobox Public transit
name = Sofia Metropolitan

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imagesize = 250px
locale = Sofia
transit_type = Rapid transit
began_operation = 1998
ended_operation =
system_length = km to mi|10|abbr=yes|precision=0
lines = 1
vehicles =
stations = 8
ridership = Around 100 000 a day,expected to reach 250 000,when new stations open in 2009 (the actual number of riders of the Sofia subway per day was never made public.These are independent searches.)
track_gauge =
reporting marks =
operator =
owner = Sofia Metropoliten

The Sofia Metropolitan ( _bg. Софийско метро, "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 February 2008, it has 8 stations and a total length of 10 km.

History

Planned since the 1960s, the building of Sofia Metro was not officially launched until the 1990s mainly because the city did not experience an urgent need for an underground system. 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 building of the National Palace of Culture in 1982, two metro stations and the tunnels connecting them were built.

The construction of the metropolitan 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.

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 prolonged to Obelya, 1.8 km in addition.

The line 1 lengthening continued in 2005 (as planned in 2004), from St Nedelya Square through the centre of the city to Interpred in Izgrev, 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 living complex, 3.2 km, 3 stations. The completion term of the first three new stations was autumn 2007, but after that a delay was announced, so that both sections are expected to become operational in the spring 2009.

Two additional extensions of the line 1 exist as plans — from Mladost to Sofia Airport (7.2 km, 6 stations) and from Mladost to Business Park Sofia (4 stations).

Construction of the second line between Nadezhda junction and Cherni vruh blvd., via the Central Railway Station and the National Palace of Culture is planned to start in 2007, length 6.5 km, 7 stations. Both stations built in 80s will be part of that line.

As of February 2008 selection of the construction company is under way.

There are plans for a third line that will run from Sofia's elite Boyana Neighbourhood to the living complex Levski.For now there is little info for that line and the start of construction works is still unknown.

"Some of the Metro stations in Cyrillic letters:"

tations

Line 1

* Obelya (Обеля)
* Slivnitsa (Сливница)
* Lyulin (Люлин)
* Zapaden park (Западен парк)
* Vardar (Вардар)
* Konstantin Velichkov (Константин Величков)
* Opalchenska (Опълченска)
* Serdika (Сердика)
* Kliment Ohridski (Климент Охридски)
* Vasil Levski stadium (Стадион Васил Левски)
* Interpred (Интерпред) (also known as World Trade Center - Световен Търговски Център)
* Musagenitza (Мусагеница)
* Studentska (Студентска)
* Mladost (Младост)

Line 2

* Obelya (Обеля - existing station, connecting Line 1 with Line 2)
* Vrabnitsa (ж.к. Връбница)
* Nadezhda 3-4 (ж.к. Надежда 3-4)
* Nadezhda 1-2 (ж.к. Надежда 1-2)
* Maria Louise Blvd. near Fifth City Hospital (бул.Мария Луиза,близо до Пета Градска)
* Central Bus & Rail Stations (Между Централна Жп Гара и Автогара)
* Lions' Bridge (Лъвов мост)
* Serdika 2, near St.Nedelya square (Сердика 2)
* NDK 1, built (НДК 1 - изградена)
* Hemus Hotel (хотел Хемус)
* Lozenets (ж.к. Лозенец)
* Hladilnika (ж.к. Хладилника)
* Lev Tolstoy (ж.к. Лев Толстой)
* Svoboda /"Liberty" (ж.к. Свобода)
* Iliyantsi (ж.к. Илиянци)

ee also

* List of rapid transit systems

External links

* [http://www.metropolitan.bg/ Sofia Metropolitan]
* [http://metropolitan.hit.bg/ Unofficial site]
* [http://metros.hu/terkep/k/szofia.html Sofia Metro Map]