The second phase of work on the section of Bucharest Metro’s line 5 between the stations of Râul Doamnei and Eroilor is scheduled for completion by mid-2018. EU funding has made possible the construction of the new line, which will improve rapid transit links between the city centre and the western districts of Bucharest. The project is being implemented in the Bucharest-Ilfov development region of Romania’s Macroregion three.
Extension to Bucharest metro to improve links with western districts of the city
- 31 May 2018
The section of the metro covered by the project is 6.871 km in length and comprises nine new stations. These are Râul Doamnei, Constantin Brâncuși, Valea Ialomiţei, Romancierilor, Parc Drumul Taberei, Drumul Taberei 34, Favorit, Orizont and Academia Militară.
The line will connect with the existing lines 1 and 3 at Eroilor station, while the section of track between Romancierilor and Valea Ialomiţei will constitute a 1-km branch leading off the main part of line 5. A train depot is also under construction.
Shorter journey times
Currently, journeys on the full length of the route to be served by the new metro line take 32 minutes, with the speed of public transport running along the route averaging 13 km/h. As a result of the construction of line 5, journey times should drop to 12 minutes, while average speeds should jump to 36 km/h. It is expected that more than 64 000 passengers a day will benefit.
The first phase of the project was completed in line with expectations and the second phase will see the finalisation of tasks begun under phase one. The overall cost for the first phase was almost EUR 663 million, while the budget for the second phase is around EUR 411.5 million. EU funding for phase two comes to nearly EUR 252 million, with the corresponding figure for phase one at over EUR 169 million.
Following implementation of the present project, further extensions to line 5 are planned from Eroilor to another junction with line 1 at Pantelimon. These will be over 11 km in length and include 12 new stations.
A rapidly developing network
Bucharest has had a metro system since 1979 when an 8.63-km section of line 1 from Petrache Poenaru to Timpuri Noi opened. There are now four lines in operation, with line 5 set to be added and the planning phase for line 6 underway.
Line 1 was gradually extended and completed in 1990. It is 31 km long and runs from Dristor 2 to Pantelimon. Originally considered as a branch of line 1 and running east-west, line 3 opened in 1983 and was completed in 2008. For part of its 20-km route, it follows the same tracks as line 1 and runs from Anghel Saligny to Preciziei.
The 18.7-km, north-south line 2 runs from Pipera to Berceni and opened in two stages in 1986 and 1987. Opening in 2000 and with its final section completed in 2017, line 4 is 8.3 km long and runs from the junction with line 1 at Bucharest North railway station (Gara de Nord) north-westwards to Străulești. Scheduled for completion by 2021, line 6 will have a total length of around 18 km and link Gara de Nord with Henri Coandă International Airport.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Metro Line 5 Section Râul Doamnei – Eroilor (PS Operâ) incl. Valea Oalomiţei – Phase II” is EUR 411 508 626, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 251 882 708 through the “Large Infrastructure” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.