Since 2009 after inclusion in OP "Transport", predominantly by funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Cohesion Fund (CF) of the European Union with a local co-financing, has started the implementation of large-scale Sofia Metro Extension Project. It includes the construction of Line 2 and a significant extension of Line 1 of the Sofia metro. It is divided into three stages. The first two stages were completed on 31.08.2012.
The total length of sections amounts to 13 km with 13 stations. By this the length of metro lines after the completion of these stages has increased to 31 km with 27 stations and approximate number of passengers carried more than 300 thousand/daily. In 2013 has been launched the third stage of the project.
STAGE І: CENTRAL SECTION OF LINE 2 "NADEZHDA OVEPASS - SV.NEDELYA QUARE - NDK - CHERNI VRAH BLVD."
(CONSTRUCTION 2009 - ІХ.2012)
The first stage of the Sofia Metro Extension Project, included in OP "Transport" includes the route: "Nadezhda Overpass - Central Railway Station - Sv. Nedelya Sq. - NDK - Cherni Vrah blvd." 6.4 km long with 7 stations.
The financing of this stage is carried out under Priority Axis 3 "Improvement of intermodality in passengers and freight transportation" of OP "Transport" by the ERDF. The grant by the ERDF amounts to 157 million Euros, with co-financing by the Sofia Municipality of 25% of the value of the stage. Application Form for funding together with the Cost-Benefit Analysis was approved by the European Commission in 2009. The final completion of the stage, after its adoption by the State Acceptance Commission at the end of August 2012, has took place in October 2012, as this stage was completed both physically and financially.
Fig. 1. Location of the routes of the Stages from the Sofia Metro Extension Project in the urban planning
Construction of this section has began in the spring of 2009 and has ended on 31.VІІІ.2012. It included construction of structures of tunnels and metro stations, architectural design of the stations, reconstruction and restoration of the affected urban infrastructure engineering, supply and installation of equipment of the management and operation systems of the metro, including 3 systems for transport automation and safety, 3 dispatch control systems, communication systems, sanitary-technical systems, etc. - i.e. complete engineering.
There were applied complex design and technological solutions, some of which are unique, due to the complex geological and hydrogeological conditions along the route and the passage under existing facilities, including under existing tunnels of Line 1, under subways, under Lion's Bridge, due to the requirement not to completely stop the traffic around the construction sites, as well as to preserve the archaeological finds in the center of the city.
Tunnels in the section "Nadezhda Overpass - Patriarh Evtimiy blvd." with a length of 3.8 km and 4 stations are double-track tunnels with an inner diameter of 8.43 m, completed by aspecially produced for the conditions of the Sofia Metro tunnel boring machine (sealed hydro-shield) by the German company "Herrenknecht".
Fig. 2. Cross section of the double-track tunnel constructed by the means of shield method and general view of the TBM
Equipment is supplied by leading companies such as Siemens, ThyssenKrupp and others. Metro stations are constructed according to individual architectural solutions, some of them are shown in Fig.
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Fig. 3. Figure 3а shows a view of the tunnel boring machine at its entrance in Lavov Most metro station. Figure 3б. shows a view of the already completed MS Lavov Most
Fig. 4. Figure 4а. shows a view from MS Serdika II, and on Fig. 4b. is shown the entrance concourse of NDK station.
STAGE ІІ: LOT 1 – SECTION OF LINE 2 "OBELYA RD - NADEZHDA RD - NAZHDA OVERPASS" AND LOT 2 - SECTION FROM LIKE 1 "MLADOST 1 (MS 13) - TSARIGRADSKO SHOSE BLVD. WITH AN UNDERGROUND PARKING LOT"
(CONSTRUCTION 2009 - ІХ.2012)
Financing of Stage II which is included in the OP "Transport" was carried out by the grant from the Cohesion Fund - 200 million Euros and 20% local co-financing by the Sofia Municipality provided by a loan from the EIB.
The route of "Obelya RD - Nadezhda RD - Nadezhda Overpass" was defined as Lot 1 of Stage II of the Sofia Metro Extension Project due to the necessity to be provided a connection of the area funded by the OP "Transport" (Stage I), with the depot in Obelya area where the trains are being serviced and repaired, and also to provide a fast and efficient transport for Nadezhda, Svoboda, Tolstoy and Vrabnitsa residential districts with a total population of more than 120 thousand people.
In this view and the need for a parallel construction of this section together with the section of the route included in Stage I of the Project, Sofia Municipality has provided partial advanced funding for this and in 2010 has started the construction of the section "Obelya RD - Nadezhda RD - Nadezhda Overpass" (Fig. 1) with a length of 4.16 km, out of which 1.3 kilometers were opened - on overbridge and 2.86 kilometers underground. Three metro stations are underground, and the final is on an overbridge.
Fig. 5. Figure 5а shows the location of Lot 1 from Stage II in the urban planning, when Figure 5b. shows view of the reconstructed Lomsko Shose boulevard above the track of Lot 1.
Fig. 6. Figure 6а. shows Han Kubrat station during the constrution phase. Figure 6b. shows a view of the already completed station
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Fig. 7. Beli Dunav metro station
To satisfy the increased demand for efficient and safe transport of the population of the territories of the large residential discricts of Mladost and Duzhba located in the southeastern part of the city, in 2009 has began the construction of a section "Mladost I RD - Mladost III RD - Tsarigradsko Shose blvd.", which is part of the section from Mladost to Sofia Airport (Fig. 1) included in the OP "Transport" 2007-2013. It has a length of 2.5 km and 2 underground stations and represents Lot 2 of Stage II from the Project.
Fig. 8. Figure 8а. shows the location of Lot 2 of Stage ІІ in the urban planning, and figure 8бb. shows the MS Mladost III
Fig. 9. MS "Tsarigradsko Shose"
Construction of Lot 2 of Stage II, including the section "Mladost 1 RD - Tsarigradsko Shose blvd." has began in the spring of 2009 and has ended on 25.04.2012.
Construction of the two sections includes the construction of structures of the metro stations and tunnel sections, supply and installation of equipment of the management and operation system and rolling stock for the sections.
Equipment of the sections of Stage II is by the world's leading companies (Siemens, Balfour Beatty, Ericsson, etc.).
STAGE ІІІ: EXTENSIONS OF LINE 1 TOWARDS THE SOFIA AIRPORT – LOT 1 SECTION "TSARIGRADSKO SHOSE BLVD. – SOFIA AIRPORT” AND EXTENSION TOWARDS THE RING ROAD – LOT 2 SECTION "mLADOST 1 RD – BUSINESS PARK IN MLADOST 4”
(STAGE WAS APPROVED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IN ХІІ 2012 AND HAS STARTED IN THE FIRST PART OF 2013. DEADLINE: EARLY 2015.)
Construction of Stage III, Lot 1 - section "Tsarigradsko Shose blvd. - Sofia Airport" and Lot 2 - section "Mladost 1 - Business Park in Mladost 4" with a total length of 7.7 km and 7 metro stations is in process of implementation with funding from the OP "Transport" under Priority Axis 3 "Improvement of intermodality for passengers and freight transportation". Grant by the OP "Transport" amounts to 110 million euros, including 93 million Euros by the ERDF and 17 million Euros - national co-financing.
Stage III is a continuation of the first metro diameter from Tsarigradsko Shose boulevard through Druzhba RD to the Sofia Airport as well as the extension after MS Mladost I in Mladost I RD along Al. Malinov boulevard to the Business Park in Mladost 4. The section "Mladost 1 - Business Park Mladost 4" is underground with a length of 2.7 km and 3 metro stations. Section "Tsarigradsko Shose - Sofia Airport " is 5 km long with 4 stations, out of which 2 underground and 2 open - on overbridge and on the terrain level.
Fig. 10. Location and section of Lot 1 from Stage III in Drughba residential district
Fig. 11. shows the location and section of the route of Lot 1 towards the Sofia Airport
Fig. 12. shows the location and section of the route of Lot 2 under Al. Malinov blvd.
Fig. 13. shows the location and section of the route of Lot 2 up to the Business Park Sofia
Extension of Line 2 from MS James Bourchier to MS Vitosha
On 1-st August 2014 has began the construction of the section of the extension of Line 2 of the metro from the metro station "James Boucher" along the Cherni Vrah boulevard up to Srebarna street. This section comprises of a route 1.3 km long and an underground metro station - with exits/entrances at the intersections on the Cherni Vrah boulevard with Henrik Ibsen, Srebarna and Filip Kutev streets (the later is the future Todor Kableshkov boulevard).
Construction of the section will be implemented as follows: a tunnel under Cherni Vrah boulevard from MS "James Boucher" to Srebarna street in length of 900 m and a tunnel section for change the direction of trains movement south of the intersection of Cherni Vrah boulevard with Filip Kutev street with length of 200 m – will be constructed according to the classical New Austrian Tunneling Method, without excavating the ground level. Metro station and and underground pedestrian passage under the intersections on the Cherni Vrah boulevard will be implemented through strengthening with diaphragm walls, construction of the roof slab and execution of excavation works and interior structures underneath.
The section is included in the Operational Programme "Transport and Transport Infrastructure" 2014-2020, as Sofia Municipality has provided advanced financing within the co-financing of the section.
PUBLIC BENEFITS BY THE COMPLETION OF THE SOFIA METRO EXTENSION PROJECT
(LINE 1 AND LINE 2)
- Increase in the number of passengers carried by metro - up to 380 thousand passengers/daily (per weekday). After the realization of Line 3 the total number of passengers will reach 550 thousand.
- Share in the system of public transport - about 35%.
- High carriage capacity - 50 thousand passengers/hour.
- High travel speed - 80 km/h.
- Travel time from the city subusrbs to the center - 10 ÷ 18 min.
- Reduction of traffic and road accidents - by more than 22%.
- Reduction of harmful gasses, incl. greenhouse gas - 90.5 thousand tons per year.
- Reduction of noise level - 15 ÷ 20%.
- Time saved for the citizens of Sofia - over 90 thousand hours per day.
* The above data is based on actual parameters after the respective counts on existing sections of Line 1 and Line 2 (including Stage I and Stage II of the Project). Parameters for Stage III are based on estimated data.
Since the metro lines are calculated for maximum service of the load of passengers, at the calculations of the passenger flows there was applied the load in working day.
PROJECT PREPARATION OF THE SECTIONS OF FUTURE EXTENSIONS OF SOFIA METRO
Investment project of Line 3 of the Sofia Metro as a "light metro" – "Botevgradsko Shose Depot - Vladimir Vazov blvd. - Center - Ovcha Kupel RD"
Preparation of the investment project for the realization of the third metro line was funded by the Priority Axis "Technical Assistance" of OP "Transport". Grant by the European Regional Development Fund amounted to 2 780 000 levs. Project comprises of Feasibility studies, development of Preliminary Design and Regulation Plan, preparation of documentation to assess the necessity for carring out of environmental impact assessment (EIA), Cost-Benefit Analysis and financial analysis and preparation of documentation for carring out of open public procurement procedure for the construction of a third metro line. Investment project will be completed in mid-2013 and in case of provided financing its construction can start in 2014.
Preparation of the above project is carried out by Metroproekt - Prague, which has won the international tender to select a contractor.
The route of Metro Line 3 was approved after public hearings and expert council meetings during the second half of 2011. as well as a partial update of the Expert Council in 2012. Route is as follows: "Botevgradsko Shose blvd. - Vladimir Vazov blvd. - Center (Orlov Most, NDK, Bulgaria blvd.) - Krasno Selo RD - Ovcha Kupel RD" with last MS located at the Ring Road and railway of Sofia-Pernik line (Fig. 1). The length of the route is 16 km with 18 metro stations. Futre extensions are planned for the directions: eastwards to Geo Milev and Slatina and westwards along the Doyran street. Herebellow are presented some design solutions for the construction of stations from the third metro line:
Fig. 14. Figure 14а. shows the design of the on-the-ground metro station along Vl. Vazov blvd. and Figure 14b. shows the design of MS Orlov Most, where is made the connection with the existing station of Line 1
Fig. 15. Figure 15а. shows the design of the metro station planned for the crossroad of Bulgaria blvd. and I. Geshov blvd. Figure 15b shows the design of an above-the-ground station at President Lincoln blvd.
During the period 2015-2018 is planned the construction of the central section of the line (Stage I) from Yanko Sakazov blvd. through the Center to reaching Krasno selo residential area, also a depot located at Zhitnitsa street in the same residential area. The first section of the line to be constructed comprises of 8 km track and 8 stations and it’s expected passengers load amounts to around 90 thousand passengers daily.
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