Knyaginya Maria Luiza Metro Station

Knyaginya Maria Luiza
Location 116 Maria Luiza Blvd., Sofia 1233, Bulgaria
Coordinates 42°42′50.89″N 23°18′47.12″E / 42.7141361°N 23.3130889°ECoordinates: 42°42′50.89″N 23°18′47.12″E / 42.7141361°N 23.3130889°E
Owned by Sofia Municipality
Platforms side
Tracks 2
Construction
Structure type triple-span
Platform levels 2
Other information
Station code 2989; 2990
History
Opened 31-Aug-2012
Previous names Banishora
Services
Preceding station   Sofia Metro   Following station
toward Obelya
Line 2
Location

Knyaginya Maria Luiza Metro Station (Bulgarian: Метростанция „Княгиня Мария Луиза“) is the 21st station to open on the Sofia Metro in Bulgaria. It is situated near the road junction Nadezhda in the northern part of Sofia, at the intersection of Maria Luiza Boulevard and Gen. Stoletov Blvd. It was put into operation on August 31, 2012 and is also known as the fifth station on the second BLUE line of the metro (station 5-II). It was also the first station on the path of the TBM, which worked on the section between stations 5-II and 9-II (part of phase I of the metro extension project), entirely constructed by the Turkish company Doğuş Construction, part of Doğuş Holding.[1] The station is a shallow triple-span station with two rows of concrete and steel columns. It serves two central tracks and two side platforms. There are four street entrances, two on each side of the boulevard, after which the station is named. They lead to a central vestibule, right above the station.[2][3][4]

Public Transportation[5]

West side:

East side:

Location

BLUE line – M2

All stations are wheelchair accessible
Legend

BLUE line – RED line

0' Obelya Open-air parking Public buses in Sofia
opened 2003 on RED line
 

↓Opened 2012↓

Kakach
2' Lomsko shose

4' Beli Dunav Parking
6' Nadezhda
Suhodolska
8' Han Kubrat

Future extension

proposed Depot
Iliyantsi
Iliyansko shose
Svoboda
Lev Tolstoy

BDŽ National Rail
to Dragoman/Radomir/Bankya

BDŽ National Rail
to Pernik-Kulata/Kyustendil
10' Knyaginya Maria Luiza
11' Central Railway Station
Parking Sofia Central Station Central Bus Station Sofia
13' Lavov most
Vladayska
15' Serdika II

Serdika Bulbank parking

RED line
to Obelya/Tsarigradsko shose
17' NDK NDK parking
built 1981
opened 2012
Perlovska
19' European Union CCS Mall parking
built 1981
opened 2012
20' James Bourchier Parking
↓Opening ca. 2016↓
VitoshaParadise Mall parking
future
line end

The station is located at 116 Maria Luiza Blvd., Sofia, Bulgaria. As development to the north is limited due to the ground-level mainline railway service passing east to west, this station serves mostly areas located to its south. It serves mainly the residential district Banishora.

To the south:

To the north:

Naming

Initially, in the project the station was named Banishora for the neighbourhood it serves. Afterwards, the official name was chosen to be in honour of Maria Luiza, Princess consort of Bulgaria, as one of four stations constructed under Maria Luiza Boulevard in Sofia, the other three being Central Railway Station, Lavov most, and Serdika II.

Construction

Construction began as part of phase I of the Sofia Metro Extension Project, funded by the ERDF under Priority Axis 3 of OP Transport 2007-2013, Improvement of Intermodality for Passenger and Freight, and the National Budget in the amount of € 185,190,000.[13] Phase I consisted in the construction of 4 stations and interconnecting tunnels and the inclusion of two stations built in the 1980s, plus another newly built station with national funding only. The TBM boring began a few hundred meters to the north-west of the station on April 6, 2010.[14][15] It was decided to bore a single tunnel with a double track with a diameter of 9,4 meters which called for high ceiling stations for the TBM to pass through. Maria Luiza Station was the first station on its path and the TBM reached the station in the first week of October, 2010.[16] By the end of November, 2010 the station was constructively entirely completed.[17] By 21 May 2012 the station was fully completed.[18]

The station is a two-level underground station with the tracks and platforms on the lower level and a vestibule with turnstile gates and pedestrian underpasses on the upper level. It is a triple-span station with two rows of columns, one on each side-platform. Both tracks run in the center and are powered by a third rail +825V. The platforms are 104 meters long. The station is accessible by elevators on all levels from all four entrances at ground level. Escalators are installed on all levels (including ground level) for ease of access going upwards. The main colours of the station are pale green and beige. The architectural project is credited to the Turkish company Doğuş Construction, part of Doğuş Holding.[1][19]

The station was inaugurated as part of a grand opening ceremony for the inauguration of the entire second BLUE line on 31 August 2012 in the presence of Bulgaria's PM Boyko Borisov and the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso.[20][21][22]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Doğuş İnşaat". Dogusinsaat.com.tr. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  2. ↑ "OP Transport and development". Metropolitan.bg. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  3. ↑ "Inforegio: EU Regional Policy - Project examples - Projects". Ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  4. ↑ "Sofia metro underground railway second line official opening on August 31". The Sofia Globe. 2012-08-30. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  5. ↑ "Urban transport - Route network". Sofiatraffic.bg. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  6. ↑ "Контакти". 5 mbal. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  7. ↑ BGMEDICINE Design. "Кой да ме лекува, къде да се лекувам, медицинска база данни". Bgmedicine. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  8. ↑ "Хематологична болница Йоан Павел". Hematologia-joanpavel.com. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  9. ↑ "Очна болница Зора - Специализирана болница за активно лечение на очни болести. Очни медицински центрове Светлина и Зора". Bolnica-zora.com. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  10. ↑ "Trolley Depot "Nadejda" | Sofia Public Electrical Transport Company JSC". Elektrotransportsf.com. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  11. ↑ "National Railway Infrastructure Company - contacts". Rail-infra.bg. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  12. ↑ "НМТБ ::: Национална многопрофилна транспортна болница "Цар Борис III" - София". Nmtb-sofia.eu. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  13. ↑ "PM Boyko Borissov Inspects Sofia Underground Extension Project". News • Operational Programme on Transport 2007-2013. Optransport.bg. 29 March 2011. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  14. ↑ "Tunnel Boring Machine Begins Operating within Sofia Underground Extension Project". News • Operational Programme on Transport 2007-2013. Optransport.bg. 6 April 2010. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  15. ↑ "Започна работата на тунелопробивната машина по проекта за разширение на метрото в София". Metropolitan.bg. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  16. ↑ "European Commission Representatives Visit Construction Sites of Second Line". News • Operational Programme on Transport 2007-2013. Optransport.bg. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  17. ↑ "P.M. Borisov and Ministers Moskovski and Donchev, with the President of E.C. Barroso, visited the 'Ancient cultural complex Serdica'". News • Operational Programme on Transport 2007-2013. Optransport.bg. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  18. ↑ Тунелите и метростанциите са почти 100%. Stroitelstvo.info. 21 May 2012.
  19. ↑ Рецептата е добра дисциплина, постоянна работа и контрол върху изпълнителите. Stroitelstvo.info. 30 January 2012.
  20. ↑ http://metropolitan.bg/bg/news/view/93.html
  21. ↑ M3 Web (31 August 2012). "Bulgaria: Sofia Expands Its Metro, Barroso Pleased". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  22. ↑ "Jose Manuel Barroso: Sofia subway’s new line is an example of what can be expected from Europe". Focus-fen.net. FOCUS Information Agency. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-28.

External links

Media related to Knyaginya Maria Luiza Metro Station at Wikimedia Commons