Bucharest subway operator to complete Line 4 expansion by December

Bucharest's subway network operator Metrorex will complete the Line 4 expansion by December this year. The two new stations, namely Laminorului and Straulesti, are almost finalized, reports local Digi24. The new section will be 1.9-km long, linking Parc Bazilescu station to Straulesti stop. Metrorex estimated that the new section would be able to carry some 50,000 people per hour. The new Straulesti station will be the first naturally illuminated metro stop in Bucharest, reports Digi24. It will also be connected to the first inter-modal node in Bucharest, which will include 690 parking spaces, and bus stations. Line 4 currently has six stations, namely Gara de Nord 2, Basarab 2, Grivita, 1 Mai, Jiului and Parc Bazilescu. The Bucharest subway network has a length of 69.25 kilometers, divided into four lines that have 51 stations in total. Metrorex is currently working on the fifth line, which connects the busy Drumul Taberei residential area to the city center. The European Union approved in July a EUR 170 million funding for the first phase of the project. The Bucharest metro operator Metrorex should also start building another subway line next year, to connect the capital’s main train station Gara de Nord to the Henri Coanda International Airport. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com