Construction is progressing and the construction of the new Pancho Vladigerov metro station in the Obelya district is expected to be completed in the summer of 2027.
“We want more people to choose public transport instead of cars. For this, we need a connected system - with easy transfers, shorter intervals and good connections between different modes of transport. The Pancho Vladigerov metro station will facilitate transfers between Line 1 and Line 2, and will allow for shorter intervals on Line 2.“ This was announced by the Mayor of Sofia Vasil Terziev during an inspection of the construction of the new metro station.
The inspection was also attended by Deputy Mayor for Finance Georgi Klisurski, the Executive Director of “Metropolitan” Nikolay Naydenov and Prof. Stoyan Bratoev.
The station is located on the boulevard of the same name between the “Slivnitsa“ and “Obelya“ metro stations. Construction began on October 10, 2023 and is part of a large-scale project for an intermodal transport hub that will unite metro, rail and bus transport.
At the moment, 90 percent of the rough construction of the station has been completed.
The structure of the station, the track of the service connection have been built, and the implementation of the contact rail and its systems is being completed. The covering of the open ground section is being completed.
The main goal of the project is to provide convenient and fast access to the metro for travelers from the region and neighboring settlements to Sofia. The new metro station will have a direct connection with the future railway station “Obelya“, which is expected to be built by the National Company “Railway Infrastructure“, and it is already planned that the exits of the metro station will lead directly to the railway platforms.
Convenient connection between Line 1 and 2
With the commissioning of the future metro station “Pancho Vladigerov“, the connection between Line 1 and Line 2 of the metro will be significantly facilitated. Therefore, the station is organized with a central platform, which facilitates connections for travelers. Trains on Line 1 will arrive and depart on one track, and on Line 2 on the other. The station will be the starting/ending point for both lines, which will allow for a quick transfer of passengers. After getting off the train on Line 1, they will practically only be able to cross the platform and board a train from Line 2, for which this will be the first stop. Thus, the transfer will be direct and without the need for long walks through transit corridors and tunnels.
The new organization will separate both metro diameters, which are currently connected through the common station “Slivnitsa“, and will allow Line 1 and Line 2 to have independent schedules, tailored to their workload. This will create the opportunity for the travel intervals on Line 2 to be reduced from 7 to 4 minutes, and the connection of Line 2 with the depot “Obelya“ will allow for more flexible and efficient train operations both during pre-peak and peak hours.
In the long term, an increase in passenger traffic in the metro by about 12,000 people is expected. In the medium term, the estimated passenger traffic is about 5,500 passengers per day.
Another important benefit of the construction of this station - the physical separation of the first and second metro diameters is key to the implementation of the future extension of Line 2 to “Studentski grad“, as the new service connection will guarantee the capacity to load trains on Line 2 independently of Line 1 and will ensure effective intervals for train movement.
The implementation of “Pancho Vladigerov“ station will contribute significantly to easing traffic in the capital. A reduction in cars by about 5,600 per day is expected, as well as in carbon emissions by approximately 1,500 tons per year.
Within the next six months, we expect the construction of the metro on Tsaritsa Ioana Blvd. in Lyulin to begin, which will also connect with the Ring Road, said Nikolay Naydenov, the executive director of Metropolitan. This connection will allow the metro to be used by those coming from the southwest.
Another intermodal hub is also planned at the Southern Arc of the Ring Road in the area of “Simeonovo“, where projects for connection with tram transport are being prepared, informed the mayor of Vasil Terziev.
Together with the implementation of the extension through “Slatina“, which is 6 kilometers and 6 metro stations, the metro will reach 61 km and 57 metro stations. It is expected that the reduction in harmful emissions into the air will be over 7 thousand tons per year.
The “Pancho Vladigerov” station is being implemented by the construction company “Geostroy“, selected after a public procurement procedure. The project value is 22.5 million euros excluding VAT and is financed from the state budget.