On 28 March 2011 Prime Minister Boyko Borissov inspected the progress of the construction activities within the Sofia underground extension project, Stage I Nadezhda road junction  (metro station 5-II) - Central Railway Station - Sveta Nedelya Sq. - Cherni Vruh Blvd. (metro station 11-II). Also attending were Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, EU Funds Minister Tomislav Donchev, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov, Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technologies and Communications Ivailo Moskovski and Metropoliten EAD CEO Stoyan Bratoev.

It transpired at the inspection that the project may be completed two months ahead of schedule.

The extended underground services are expected to reduce Sofia traffic by 25 % and Sofianites will save over 65,000 hours of travel time.The funds for Stage I of the underground extension project, included in OP Transport, amount to 185,190,000 EUR, including 157 million in grant aid from the European Regional Development Fund, 28,800,000 in national co-financing and 61,900,000 in co-financing by the Sofia Municipality. Construction activities were launched in the beginning of 2009 and are expected to be completed in August 2012. By March 2011 construction activities of the value of 139,342,000 EUR were carried out.

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov stressed that by the end of June the tunnel boring machine should reach as far as the Sheraton Hotel. French experts were categorical that the construction of the underground is performed duly and in accordance with the agreed schedule.

The Sofia underground extension project, Stage I is financed under Priority Axis 3 of OP Transport, Improvement of Intermodality for Passenger and Freight, and is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.