News

Builder of new Sofia subway route to be named early '08

The candidate list includes Italian tie-ins Pizrotti-Seli and Condotte-Ansaldo, Spain's FCC and Obrascón Huarte Lain, Czech Metrostav, Greek consortium Aktor-Terna and JP Avax also from Greece. Three Bulgarian companies are also in the frame. Geotechmin is the only local entrant not part of any alliance with foreign corporations. Glavbolgarstroy will contest the contract in partnership with Germany's Hochtief while Moststroy has teamed up with Turkey's Dogus Group.

The Sofia municipality said all 10 candidates meet the minimum financial capacity and otherwise requirements set for participation in the next stage of the competition.

The construction of the new route - stretching from the Nadezhda residential district down south-east to the Central Train Station, the Tzum department store, the National Palace of Culture, the Hemus hotel up to the Cherni Vrah boulevard, should get underway in the spring of 2008.

This route will have a total of seven subway stations.

Work on a route going in the opposite direction - from Nadezhda further up north to the Obelia borough, is scheduled to begin in late 2008.

Service along both new routes should start in late 2011.

Work is currently underway on an 8 km stretch of the subway system from the St. Nedelya square through the Interpred World Trade Center to the Mladost 1 residential district. The route, with a total of six stations, should be operational by 2009.

A further 7.2 km will be added to the metropolitan subway system with a route from Mladost up north to the Druzhba borough and the Sofia International Airport. The selection of the a contractor for this section is due to get underway in the second half of 2008.

The existing 12 km of subway routes have 8 stations and are used by 25 mln commuters annually.(Dnevnik)