On 29 September 2010 representatives of DG Regional Policy of the European Commission visited construction sites included in the project on the Sofia underground extension financed under the European Regional Development Fund through OP Transport. The visit took place within a Media Seminar on the EU Structural Funds in Bulgaria organized by the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria.

Raphael Gulle, Nicola Johnston and Vladislava Hristozova visited the construction site of metro station 10-II (Hemous Hotel) and the tunnel beneath Cherni Vruh Blvd.

Metropoliten EAD CEO Stoyan Bratoev familiarized the Commission representatives with the methods of operation and the hitherto implemented project activities.

As at September 2010 the project is carried out according to schedule as the physical implementation has reached 40.5%. Construction of all metro stations is going on. Two of them - metro station 9 (National Palace of Culture) and metro station 10 (Hemous Hotel) - as well as the tunnel connecting them have been almost completed and the finishing architectural works are expected to begin there by the end of 2010. In 2011 such activities will also be launched in the other stations in accordance with the schedule.

So far about 400 m of the tunnel of separate position 1 - from Nadezhda road junction to Patriarch Evtimii Blvd. (3.8 km length) - have been excavated by a shield method with a special tunnel boring machine. By the end of this week the machine is expected to reach metro station 5 (Marie Louisse). The tunnel should be completed by August 2011.

Regarding separate position 2 - from Patriarch Evtimii Blvd. to Cherni Vruh Blvd., the construction of the tunnel between metro station 9 and metro station 10 has been completed. The rail track inside the tunnel has also been finished, while the installation of the remaining equipment will begin in the autumn of 2010.

About 550 m of the two-way tunnel beneath Cherni Vruh Blvd. have been excavated using a new Austrian method. Construction is ahead of scheduled by about a month. It is expected to be completed by the middle of 2011, after which the rail track will be laid out and the equipment will be installed.

The guests were accompanied by representatives of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Transport, Information Technologies and Communications, the beneficiary under the project on the Sofia underground extension - Metropoliten EAD and representatives of the contractor, Metro Thrace Partnership, and of the engineering consultant, Sistra-Infraprojectconsult-Metroconsult BG Consortium.