site.btaSofia Underground Railway Extension Unveiled

Sofia Underground
Railway Extension
Unveiled


Sofia, May 8 (BTA) - A new extension to Sofia's underground
railway system (the metro) leading up to the Mladost 4 Business
Park was unveiled on Friday by President Rosen Plevneliev, Prime
Minister Boyko Borissov, European Commission Vice President
Kristalina Georgieva and Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova. The
ceremony was also attended by the ministers of finance,
transport, regional development and environment, and Sofia
Metropilitan Company CEO Stoyan Bratoev.

President Plevneliev said: "I am here to offer words of
gratitude to all who are modernizing Bulgaria day and night,
words of gratitude to the European Commission which has been
supporting us, and words of gratitude to the public for their
patience."

He noted that in the past it took 30 years to build just 9 km of
metro lines, whereas now the system is growing at four times
that speed.

Commissioner Georgieva said in her greetings address that
Bulgaria's EU-supported Operational Programmes for the 2007-2013
period have been fulfilled at 75 per cent.

In the 2014-2020 period Bulgaria expects to receive 32 billion
leva in EU aid, including 10 billion leva which is already
available, and 680 million leva of it is earmarked for the
further enlargement of the Sofia metro.

The new extension is 3 km long and includes 3 stations. Its
construction was financed with 44 million euro, including 34
million euro from the European Regional Development Fund.

The new railway will reduce above-ground road traffic in the
area by 20 per cent as 45,000 people will use the metro to the
Mladost 4 Business Park, which is situated in the outskirts of
the city. It will also reduce harmful gas emissions by 7,000
tonnes. Eight thousand fewer cars will travel through the area
every day.

Vehicular traffic conditions in this part of the city will
improve even more by August, when the upgrading of Alexander
Malinov Boulevard is to be completed. The boulevard will have
three lanes in each direction, and the section near the Mladost
4 Business Park will have one additional lane on each side.
VI/VE



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