Sofia Subway Used by 300 000 Passengers Daily

Over 300 000 people use the Sofia subway on a daily basis and the passenger numbers are increasing, according to Stoyan Bratoev, Executive Director of municipality-owned company Metropoliten EAD.

"Prior to the launch of the second line of the Sofia subway, the metro system transported around 170 000-180 000 passengers on a daily basis, while now they are slightly above 300 000 a day," the CEO of the Sofia metro operator said, adding that the number of people opting for this type of transport was on the rise.

Sofia's second metro rail line connecting the Nadezhda residential district to the Lozenets residential district was launched in end-August 2012.

The second metro line in the capital was built with funding under Operational Program "Transport".

Bratoev emphasized that each new metro line increased convenience for passengers.

The start of the construction of the new subway section connecting Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd and Sofia Airport is to be officially announced on Wednesday.

The sod-turning ceremony is to be attended by Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova and Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski.

The 5-km subway stretch includes 4 stations and is to become functional in 2015.

The construction of the subway section from the Mladost 1 residential district to Business Park Sofia is scheduled to start in the beginning of 2013.