The metro through the Sofia district "Slatina" will not be operational by the end of the mandate, and the official schedule currently indicates the completion of construction by the end of 2027. This is clear from the latest public statements of the Sofia Municipality and "Metropolitan", in which the section is described as being about 45% completed by June 2026, BTA reported.
The Mayor of Sofia Vasil Terziev announced during an inspection of the construction of the "Geo Milev" station that the extension of the third metro line in the direction of "Slatina" and "Mladost" is completed in total by 45% and that under the contract, construction must be completed by the end of 2027. According to him, the section cannot be put into operation earlier than the current schedule allows. The inspection was also attended by the mayor of the “Slatina“ district, Georgi Iliev, as well as the management of “Metropolitan“.
An official announcement by the Sofia Municipality from the beginning of June 2026 states that the construction of the route through “Slatina“ is progressing and is 32% complete, and the expected completion date is autumn 2027. The difference in the percentage is due to the different dates of the inspections, but in both cases the municipal data point in the same direction — the section cannot be ready by the end of the current term, if the published schedule is followed
What has been confirmed so far
According to official data, by the end of June 2026, over 3 kilometers of the tunnel along the route through “Slatina“ have been dug, about 1.6 km more remains to be dug, and work is being done on the six future stations simultaneously. The Sofia Municipality has also announced that traffic restrictions on “Geo Milev“ Str. will continue until December 20, 2026 due to metro construction activities.
According to published data, after the completion of the section through “Slatina“ it is expected to serve over 75,000 passengers daily and reduce car traffic in the area by about 25%. These are estimated values of the contracting authority, and not final measurements after the launch of the line.
Why the topic is important for the region
The metro expansion is one of the most significant infrastructure investments in the eastern part of Sofia. The project should connect “Slatina“, “Geo Milev“, “Hristo Smirnenski“ and “Mladost“ with the rest of the capital's metro network. At the same time, construction continues to hinder traffic on key streets in the area, and the municipality maintains a temporary traffic organization until the end of the year.
At this point, there is no official information that would change the announced deadline for completion of construction by the end of 2027. After that, tests, trials and commissioning procedures will be necessary before the new stations are opened to passengers.