“It is extremely important that we are securing €282 million for Sofia Municipality. The funds will make it possible to ease the financial burden of payments for new metro trains and electric transport – buses and trolleybuses. The continuation of the metro is extremely important. Within the framework of the Regional Development Programme, we managed to do everything we could, and with these funds we provided additional impetus.” This was stated by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, architect Ivan Shishkov. He signed an agreement with Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev for the implementation of the project “Support for Integrated Public Transport and Sustainable Urban Mobility in Sofia Municipality”, financed by the Regional Development Programme 2021 – 2027 under Priority 1 “Integrated Urban Development”.
The investment amounts to nearly €800 million, of which €282 million is a grant from the programme. The project is being implemented by the municipality in partnership with Metropolitan EAD and Sofia Electric Transport EAD, with the deadline for its completion set for 31 December 2029. The agreement was signed in the presence of Sofia’s deputy mayors for finance Georgi Klisurski, for transport Ivan Nikolov, and for public works engineer Emiliyan Georgiev, as well as the directors of Metropolitan, Nikolay Naydenov, and Sofia Electric Transport, Evgeni Ganchev.
The funds will provide 75 new trolleybuses, 80 new electric buses, as well as 16 charging stations for the new rolling stock. An extension of the third metro line eastwards from the city centre to Tsarigradsko Shose Boulevard is planned. To this end, a 6-kilometre underground line and 6 metro stations, train traffic control and management systems, communications and platform screen doors will be built. The project also includes a metro station next to Obelya railway station, with a tunnel connection to the Obelya metro depot. It will provide a connection between the metro and the Sofia – Kyustendil railway line. Sixteen metro trains will be delivered for metro lines 1, 2 and 4. Investments in the large-scale project also include the construction of a 1.9-kilometre metro line and 2 metro stations from Lyulin metro station to the Sofia Ring Road.
It also envisages the construction of “Todor Kableshkov Boulevard” between Lui Ayer Street and Cherni Vrah Boulevard, with two-way bicycle lanes, pavements with tactile paving for people who are blind, and three four-leg intersections – at Lui Ayer Street, Emiliyan Stanev Street and Cherni Vrah Boulevard. New traffic lights will be integrated into the traffic management system to ensure maximum road safety. The project also includes the construction of Rozhen Boulevard from the overpass above the railway line to the Northern Speed Tangent, as well as a new tram route.
“We expect the metro line from the city centre to Tsarigradsko Shose, the connection with Obelya and the connection that will provide access to the railway station, as well as the extension of the ring road from the metro stations in Lyulin towards the Sofia Ring Road, to be built and put into operation soon,” Minister Shishkov also said. He added that considerable progress had been made regarding the Sofia Ring Road and focused on joint work with Sofia Municipality. “We will work together, we will invest in intellectual capital in order to address all the delayed projects in the capital. We believe that we can do a great deal for Sofia, and the government is at your disposal,” architect Shishkov concluded.
“I would like to thank all the teams and partners who invested significant effort and expertise to help us secure this European funding. It will enable us to turn the prepared projects into reality – modern public transport vehicles, metro expansion, the construction of urban infrastructure and better connectivity between neighbourhoods. These are changes that will have a direct impact on the daily lives of Sofia’s residents,” Mayor Vasil Terziev said.