Bulgaria will invest BGN 848 M, VAT excluded, in the first stage of the project for the construction of a third line of Sofia Metro. The sum includes BGN 685 M of EU funding under the Operational Programme Transport and Transport Infrastructure 2014 – 2020.

Contractors have already been selected for the first stage of the project that involves the construction of 7.8 km of underground railway and eight stations, most of them in the central parts of Sofia. At present, Sofia Metro network is 39 km long with 34 stations.  

The first stage is the most difficult part of the project as it involves the construction of underground railway sections in the central part of Sofia around the National Palace of Culture (NDK) and Orlov Most crossing. The construction works will require rerouting of car traffic in some areas.

The estimated carriage capacity of the line is over 170 thousand passengers a day, besides it makes intermodal connections with the main entrance roads of the city, with the national railway network in Gorna Banya RD and the first and the second metro line. Along with these steps, a depot for servicing of trains will be built and 20 new metro trains will be provided, with the option for automatic traffic management.