Benefits of the Completion of Sofia’s Subway System as Part of Sustainable Urban Mobility

Abstract

Over the past several years all European capitals have been dealing with traffic-related problems, the harmful influence of passenger transport on the environment, and the necessity to adopt measures for achieving sustainable urban mobility. The dynamic development of the city of Sofia in recent years has led to an increased number of personal vehicles, air pollution, and the necessity for servicing large passenger flows effectively and relieving traffic in the city’s center. The global practice is to solve urban mobility transport problems in larger cities with a population of over one million by developing a subway system which should become the primary mode of urban passenger transport, securing quick access to work places, guaranteeing high-quality, safe and secure travel, while simultaneously minimizing pollution, greenhouse effects and energy consumption. The purpose of the present article is to substantiate the necessity for finishing the construction of the capital’s subway system, to indicate the social benefits of the functioning of the first and second subway lines in the context of sustainable urban mobility, and to prognosticate the future social benefits of constructing and commissioning the third subway diameter through analysis of the dynamic of the city’s public transport and the available statistical data.