On 14 May 2011 the Director General of the European Commission's Regional Policy Directorate General Dirk Ahner visited the construction site of metro station 7-II (Lions' Bridge) and saw the tunnel boring machine with which the tunnel beneath Marie Louisse Blvd. (part of the section of Stage I Nadezhda road junction - Patriarch Evtimii Blvd.) is being excavated. Dirk Ahner was accompanied by Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, EU Funds Minister Tomislav Donchev, Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technologies and Communications Ivailo Moskovski and representatives of the beneficiary and the contractors of the Sofia underground extension project.

The guests were familiarized with the work of the tunnel boring machine and the progress of the implementation of the project financed under the European Regional Development Fund through OP Transport. Over 60% of construction activities were fulfilled by the end of April 2011.

Dirk Ahner voiced satisfaction with the progress in regards to the usage of modern equipment, methods and technology of implementation. He voiced hope that the project would be successfully completed in the autumn of 2012.