Joliot-Curie Station

Forty years of planning and contemplation preceded the construction of the Sofia Metro in Bulgaria. The need for an underground transit system was not particularly pressing and funding was scarce. Nevertheless, the monumental project was completed in 1998, and the Bulgarian capital of Sofia was connected to its surrounding towns.

One of the challenges that delayed construction was the antiquity of the ancient city of Sophia. As crews excavated the land, countless historical artifacts were unearthed along with Roman and Thracian ruins. These discoveries needed to be carefully removed and preserved, which lengthened the project.

Joliot-Curie Metro Station, pictured above, lies under Dragan Tsankov Boulevard at the intersection with Frederic Joliot-Curie Street next to the World Trade Center of Sofia. This station was not operational until a decade following the opening of the original rail line, making it one of the metro’s more modern stations.

The Sofia Metro continues to serve the people of Sophia today, with construction on a third line having begun in 2016. The network is made up of 35 stations that oversee approximately 350,000 passengers each day.