The Bucharest Metro ( ro, Metroul din București) is an underground
rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
system that serves
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, the capital of
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
. It first opened for service on 16 November 1979.
The network is run by Metrorex. One of two parts of the larger
Bucharest public transport network, Metrorex has an average of approximately 720,000 passenger trips per weekday (as of 2018),
compared to the 1,180,000 daily riders on Bucharest's
STB
State Security ( cs, Státní bezpečnost, sk, Štátna bezpečnosť) or StB / ŠtB, was the secret police force in communist Czechoslovakia from 1945 to its dissolution in 1990. Serving as an intelligence and counter-intelligence agency, it d ...
transit system. In total, the Metrorex system is long and has 64 stations.
History
![Statie Metrou - Grozavesti](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Statie_Metrou_-_Grozavesti.jpg)
The first proposals for a metro system in Bucharest were made in the early part of the 20th century, by the Romanian engineers
Dimitrie Leonida
Dimitrie Leonida (May 23, 1883–March 14, 1965) was a Romanian energy engineer.
Born in Fălticeni, his father Atanase was a cavalry officer, while his mother (née Gill) was the daughter of a French building engineer. He had seven surviving ...
and
Elie Radu
Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven. The burgh comprised the linked ...
.
The earliest plans for a Bucharest Metro were drafted in the late 1930s, alongside the general plans for urban modernization of the city. The outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, followed by periods of political tensions culminating with the installation of
communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
, put an end to the plans.
By 1970, the public transport system (ITB) was no longer adequate due to the fast pace of urban development, although the system was the fourth-largest in Europe. A commission was set up, and its conclusion pointed to the necessity of an underground transit system that would become the Bucharest Metro. The plan for the first line was approved on 25 November 1974 as part of the next
five-year plan and the construction on the new metro system started on 20 September 1975.
The network was not built in the same style as other Eastern European systems.
Firstly, the design of the stations on the initial lines was simple, clean-cut modern, without excessive additions such as mosaics, awkward lighting sources or excessive decoration. The main function of the stations was speed of transit and practicality. Secondly, the trainsets themselves were all constructed in Romania and did not follow the Eastern European style of construction.
[Bucharest Metro](_blank)
at urbanrail.net Each station usually followed a colour theme (generally white – in
Unirii 2,
Victoriei 1,
Lujerului; but also light blue – in
Obor
Obor is the name of a square and the surrounding district of Bucharest, the capital of Romania. There is also a Bucharest Metro station (on the M1 line) named Obor, which lies in this area. The district is near the Colentina and Moșilor ...
,
Universitate, and
Gara de Nord
Bucharest North railway station ( ro, Gara București Nord; officially Bucharest North Group A) is the main railway station in Bucharest and the largest railway station in Romania. The vast majority of mainline trains to and from Bucharest origi ...
; orange – in
Tineretului; green – in
Grozăvești), and an open plan. No station was made to look exactly like any other. Despite this, many stations are rather dark, due to the policies of energy economy in the late 1980s, with later modernisations doing little to fix this problem.
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
being one of the largest cities in the region, the network is larger than those of
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
or
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
. When the planned new line-extensions are finished, they will increase the system length to more than 100 km, with about 80 stations.
The first line, M1, opened on 19 November 1979, running from Semănătoarea ''(now Petrache Poenaru)'' to Timpuri Noi.
It had a length of with 6 stations.
Following this, more lines and several extensions were opened:
* 28 December 1981: M1 Timpuri Noi – Republica; , 6 stations
* 19 August 1983: M1 (now M3) Branch line Eroilor – Industriilor ''(now Preciziei)'' ; , 4 stations (Gorjului added later)
* 22 December 1984: M1 Semănătoarea ''(Petrache Poenaru)'' – Crângași; , 1 station
* 24 January 1986: M2 Piața Unirii – Depoul IMGB ''(now Berceni)'' ; , 6 stations (Tineretului and Constantin Brâncoveanu added later)
* 6 April 1986: M2 Tineretului; 1
infill station
An infill station (sometimes in-fill station) is
a train station built on an existing passenger rail, rapid transit, or light rail line to address demand in a location between existing stations. Such stations take advantage of existing train serv ...
* 24 October 1987: M2 Piața Unirii – Pipera; , 5 stations (Piața Romană added later)
* 24 December 1987: M1 Crângași – Gara de Nord 1; , 1 station (Basarab added later)
* 28 November 1988: M2 Piața Romană; 1 infill station
* 5 December 1988: M2 Constantin Brâncoveanu; 1 infill station
* 17 August 1989: M3 (now M1) Gara de Nord 1 – Dristor 2; , 6 stations
* May 1991: M1 Republica – Pantelimon; , 1 station (single track, operational on a special schedule)
* 26 August 1992: M1 Basarab; 1 infill station
* 31 August 1994: M3 Gorjului; 1 infill station (westbound platform only; eastbound platform opened in 1998)
* 1 March 2000: M4 Gara de Nord 2 – 1 Mai; , 4 stations
* 20 November 2008: M3 branch Nicolae Grigorescu 2 – Linia de Centură ''(now Anghel Saligny)'', , 4 stations
* 1 July 2011: M4 1 Mai – Parc Bazilescu, , 2 stations
* 31 March 2017: M4 Parc Bazilescu – Străulești, , 2 stations
* 15 September 2020: M5 Raul Doamnei / Valea Ialomitei – Eroilor 2 , 10 stations
Lines M1 and M3 have been sharing the section between Eroilor and Nicolae Grigorescu.
Large stations which connect with other lines, such as Piața Victoriei, have two terminals, and each terminal goes by a different name (Victoriei 1 and Victoriei 2). On the official network map, they are shown as two stations with a connection in between, even though, in fact – and for trip planners – they are a single station with platforms at different levels. There is one exception: Gara de Nord 1 and Gara de Nord 2 are separate stations (although linked through a subterranean passage, the traveller is required to exit the station proper and pay for a new fare at the other station, thus leaving the system), passengers being required to change trains at Basarab.
Generally, the underground stations feature large interiors.
The largest one,
Piata Unirii, is cathedral-like, with vast interior spaces, hosting retail outlets and fast-food restaurants and has an intricate network of underground corridors and passageways.
Metrorex
Metrorex is the Romanian company which runs the Bucharest Metro. It is fully owned by the
Romanian Government
, image =
, caption=Logo of the Government of Romania
, date = 1862
, state = Romania
, address = Victoria PalaceBucharest
, appointed = President
, leader_title = Prime Minister
, mai ...
through the Ministry of Transportation. There were plans to merge the underground and overground transportation systems into one authority subordinated to the City of
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, however these plans did not come to fruition.
Infrastructure and network
As of 2022, the entire network runs underground, except for a short stretch between Dimitrie Leonida and Berceni stations on the southern end of the M2 line. The network is served by six depots, two being located above ground (IMGB and Industriilor) and four underground (Ciurel, Străulești, Pantelimon and Valea Ialomitei) and smaller additional works at Gara de Nord and Eroilor stations.
There are two connections between the Metro network and the
Romanian Railways
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
network, one at Berceni (connecting to the Bucharest Belt Ring), the other at Ciurel (connecting via an underground passage to the Cotroceni-Militari industrial railway). However, the latter connection is currently unused and mothballed. The metro network and the national rail network have almost similar
track gauge
In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many d ...
( vs ) and
loading gauge
A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and ke ...
but not the same electrification system (the metro uses 750 V DC whereas the Romanian Railways use 25,000 V 50 Hz AC) making it possible for new metro cars to be transported cross country as unpowered railway cars. This distinction is also seen in the pre-2007 separation between the
MTR and the former
KCR network in Hong Kong (see
Track gauge in Hong Kong).
The network is powered by a bottom-contact
third rail
A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway t ...
system except in works, depots and some tunnels, where a
catenary
In physics and geometry, a catenary (, ) is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends in a uniform gravitational field.
The catenary curve has a U-like shape, superficia ...
system is employed instead.
Lines
There are five metro lines in operation and another one in the planning phase:
:
*
M1 Line: between
Dristor and
Pantelimon – the first line to open in 1979, last extension in 1990; it is circular with a North-Eastern spur. Part of its tracks are shared with M3 (7 stations).
*
M2 Line: between
Pipera
Pipera village is a neighborhood in Voluntari, Ilfov County, at the northern edge of the city of Bucharest, Romania.
Development
Until 1995, Pipera was an ordinary village. After that, an "El Dorado" of land transactions began. Plots of land th ...
and
Berceni opened in 1986, last extension in 1987; it runs in a north–south direction, crossing the center.
*
M3 Line: between
Preciziei and
Anghel Saligny
Anghel Saligny (; 19 April 1854, Șerbănești, Moldavia – 17 June 1925, Bucharest, Romania) was a Romanian engineer, most famous for designing the Fetești-Cernavodă railway bridge (1895) over the Danube, the longest bridge in Europe at tha ...
opened in 1983, last extension in 2008; it runs in an east–west direction, south of the center. Shares part of its tracks with M1 (7 stations).
*
M4 Line: between
Gara de Nord
Bucharest North railway station ( ro, Gara București Nord; officially Bucharest North Group A) is the main railway station in Bucharest and the largest railway station in Romania. The vast majority of mainline trains to and from Bucharest origi ...
and
Străulești opened in 2000, last extension in 2017.
*
M5 Line
M5 is the newest of the five lines of the Bucharest Metro, opened on 15 September 2020. In the first phase (), it runs from Eroilor to Râul Doamnei, and to Valea Ialomiței, in the Drumul Taberei neighbourhood.
History
In 2011, construction st ...
: between
Râul Doamnei
Râul Doamnei is a left tributary of the river Argeș in Romania. Its source is on the eastern slope of Moldoveanu Peak (Făgăraș Mountains), the highest mountain peak in Romania. It discharges into the Argeș just north of Pitești. Its uppe ...
and
Eroilor opened in 2020; it runs through the
Drumul Taberei
Drumul Taberei (, ''The Camp Road'') is a neighbourhood located in the south-west of Bucharest, Romania, roughly between Timișoara Avenue (south of Plaza România and the Cotroceni Railway Station) and Ghencea Avenue, neighboring Militari to th ...
neighborhood.
Signalling system
There are multiple signalling systems used. Line 2, the first one that has been modernized, uses Bombardier's CITYFLO 350
automatic train control
Automatic train control (ATC) is a general class of train protection systems for railways that involves a speed control mechanism in response to external inputs. For example, a system could effect an emergency brake application if the driver do ...
system. It ensures the protection (
ATP) and operation (
ATO ATO may refer to:
Technology
*Abort to Orbit, an intact abort procedure for Space Shuttle launches
*Arsenic trioxide a potent chemotherapeutic agent for acute promyelocytic leukemia
* ATO fuse
* Automatic train operation
* Assisted take off
Milit ...
) of the new Bombardier Movia trains.
The system uses an IPU (
Interlocking
In railway signalling, an interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junction (rail), junctions or crossings. The signalling appliances and Track (rail transpor ...
processing unit), TI21-M
track circuit
A track circuit is an electrical device used to prove the absence of a train on rail tracks to signallers and control relevant signals. An alternative to track circuits are axle counters.
Principles and operation
The basic principle behind t ...
s and EbiScreen workstations. Signals have been kept only in areas where points are present, meaning that the route has been assigned and the driver can use cab signalling.
Trains are usually operated automatically, with the driver only opening and closing the doors and supervising the operation.
Other features include auto turnback and a
balise
A balise is an electronic beacon or transponder placed between the rails of a railway as part of an automatic train protection (ATP) system. The French word '' balise'' is used to distinguish these beacons from other kinds of beacons.
Balises a ...
system, called PSM (precision stop marker). This ensures that the train can stop at the platform automatically.
On line 3, the ATC system has been merged with the
Indusi system. Signals are present in point areas and platform ends. Along with the three red-yellow-green lights, the white ATP light has been added. Optical routes can be assigned, meaning that a train gets a green light (permission to pass the signal) only after the next signal has been passed by the train ahead, or a yellow light, meaning that the signal can be passed at low speed.
Automatic block signals have been removed.
Line 4 uses
Siemens
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad.
The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
's TBS 100 FB ATC system.
Line 5 uses Alstom's Urbalis 400
Communications-based train control
Communications-based train control (CBTC) is a railway signaling system that uses telecommunications between the train and track equipment for traffic management and infrastructure control. CBTC allows a train's position to be known more accurat ...
system.
Hours of operation
Trains run from 5 AM to 11 PM every day. The last trains on M1, M2 and M3 wait for the transfer of the passengers between lines to complete, before leaving
Piața Unirii
Piața Unirii (; ''Unification Square'' or ''Union Square'' in English) is one of the largest squares in central Bucharest, Romania, located in the center of the city where Sectors 1, 2, 3, and 4 meet. Part of the Civic Centre, it is bisected by U ...
station.
Headway
At rush hour, trains run at 4–6-minute intervals on lines 1 and 3, at 1-3 minute intervals on line 2, and at 7–8-minute on line 4; during the rest of the day, trains run at 8-minute intervals on lines 1 and 3, at 7-9 minute intervals on line 2 and at 10-minute intervals on line 4.
Fares and tickets
Public transport in Bucharest is heavily subsidized, and the subsidies will increase, as the City Council wants to reduce traffic jams, pollution and parking problems and promote public transport. Like the
STB
State Security ( cs, Státní bezpečnost, sk, Štátna bezpečnosť) or StB / ŠtB, was the secret police force in communist Czechoslovakia from 1945 to its dissolution in 1990. Serving as an intelligence and counter-intelligence agency, it d ...
, the metro can get crowded during morning and evening rush hours. The network uses
magnetic stripe card
The term digital card can refer to a physical item, such as a memory card on a camera, or, increasingly since 2017, to the digital content hosted
as a virtual card or cloud card, as a digital virtual representation of a physical card. They share ...
s, that are not valid for use on trams, buses or trolleys . Payment by contactless credit cards is available directly at the turnstiles. One tap will take 3 RON, the equivalent of one trip. For multiple validations with the same card, tap the plus button. Starting from 29 July 2021 Metrorex began replacing the magnetic stripe cards with contactless ones for weekly and monthly passes. As of November 2021 they've replaced most of the cards with contactless ones.
Tickets
Tickets can be brought from any metro station, from both kiosks and vending machines.
Prices :
Metrorex only tickets:
* 1-trip card – 3
RON Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
* 2-trip card – 6
RON Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
(€1.22)
* 24 hour card – 8
RON Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
(€1.80)
* 72 hour card – 20
RON Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
* 10-trip card – 25
RON Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
* Weekly pass (full price) – 30
RON Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
* Monthly pass (full price) – 80
RON Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
* Six months pass – 400
RON Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
* Yearly pass – 700
RON Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
* Student monthly pass (available for students in Romanian Schools, High-Schools and Universities) – 40
RON Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
(€8.1)
* Blood donors monthly pass – 40
RON Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
Integrated Metro and STB Passes:
* 1 trip card valid for 120 minutes – 5 RON
* 2 trip card valid for 120 minutes – 10 RON
* 10 trip card valid for 120 minutes – 45 RON
* 24 hour card – 20 RON
* 72 hour card – 35 RON
* 7 days card – 35 RON
* Weekly pass – 50 RON
* Monthly pass – 140 RON
* Six month pass – 700 RON
* Yearly pass – 1200 RON
Standard trip cards are sold as anonymous magnetic strip cards, where as the passes are sold as either MIFARE Ultralight or MIFARE Classic 1000 cards. Passengers can also opt to pay for the trip directly at the gates using credit cards or with Apple Pay/Google Pay. This payment system was implemented in 2019 with VISA, BCR and S&T Romania.
Future service
Under construction
*
M2 Line southbound extension ():
** ''Tudor Arghezi'' station from
Berceni to the
Bucharest South Ring Road;
Planned
*
M2 Line: a further northbound extension of and two more stations from
Pipera
Pipera village is a neighborhood in Voluntari, Ilfov County, at the northern edge of the city of Bucharest, Romania.
Development
Until 1995, Pipera was an ordinary village. After that, an "El Dorado" of land transactions began. Plots of land th ...
;
*
M4 Line extension: between
Gara de Nord
Bucharest North railway station ( ro, Gara București Nord; officially Bucharest North Group A) is the main railway station in Bucharest and the largest railway station in Romania. The vast majority of mainline trains to and from Bucharest origi ...
, through ''Soseaua Giurgiului'' and ending at ''Gara Progresul'' at Bucharest' southern limit. The tender for the designing and building of this extension will be launched soon this year. It will be split into two phases, Gara de Nord – Filaret and Filaret – Gara Progresul.
*
M5 Line
M5 is the newest of the five lines of the Bucharest Metro, opened on 15 September 2020. In the first phase (), it runs from Eroilor to Râul Doamnei, and to Valea Ialomiței, in the Drumul Taberei neighbourhood.
History
In 2011, construction st ...
: a further extension of to
Pantelimon is approved;. The central part of M5, known as M5.2, is currently designed by Metrans Engineering and 3TI Progetti SpA.
*
M6 Line: between
Gara de Nord
Bucharest North railway station ( ro, Gara București Nord; officially Bucharest North Group A) is the main railway station in Bucharest and the largest railway station in Romania. The vast majority of mainline trains to and from Bucharest origi ...
and
Henri Coandă International Airport
Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport ( ro, Aeroportul Internațional Henri Coandă București) is Romania's busiest international airport, located in Otopeni
Otopeni () is a town in Ilfov County, Muntenia, Romania, some north of ...
.
The contract for the first part of the line, known as M6.1 between 1 Mai and Tokyo has been signed this year with the Turkish company
Alsim Alarko. They are tasked with designing and building the structural support of the stations and tunnels. The second half to the
Henri Coandă International Airport
Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport ( ro, Aeroportul Internațional Henri Coandă București) is Romania's busiest international airport, located in Otopeni
Otopeni () is a town in Ilfov County, Muntenia, Romania, some north of ...
is in tendering process, three Turkish Joint-Ventures have submitted their bids.
These projects are financed by the EU, with the exception of M6.2 which is financed by a loan from
JICA
The is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan. It is chartered with assisting economic and social growth in developing countries, and the promotion of international co ...
.
Other proposals
Metrorex is also planning the following new lines, routes and stations:
*
Line M7; it is supposed to run from
Bragadiru to
Voluntari
Voluntari () is a town in Ilfov County, Muntenia, Romania. It is located at a distance of 1 km from the northern border of Bucharest (on the DN2 road towards Urziceni) and is thus frequently viewed as a suburb of Bucharest.
The population ...
.
* Line M8, the south half ring. Its route has not been fully planned yet, but it will run through Piața Sudului and end at
Crângași
Crângași is one of the smallest neighborhoods in the 6th Sector of Bucharest, Romania. It is situated on the west side of the city near the Dâmbovița River, where it flows into Lacul Morii. Its name means "people living in a young forest". ...
and
Dristor stations.
* An extension of the
Line M3 is also planned for 2030.
*Two more stations are planned and may be constructed on existing lines, both on M1. However, given the complexity of work required, and the limited benefits these stations would have it is unlikely that construction will begin in the near future:
**
Dorobanți between Stefan cel Mare and
Piața Victoriei
Victory Square ( ro, Piața Victoriei, ) is one of the major public squares in Bucharest, Romania, an intersection where Calea Victoriei, Lascăr Catargiu Boulevard, John Hunyadi, Iancu de Hunedoara Boulevard, Kiseleff Boulevard, Ion Mihalache Bou ...
;
**
Giulești
Giulești () is a neighbourhood in northwestern Bucharest, located in Sector 6. The Giulești Stadium, Giulești Theatre, Podul Grant are located in Giulești. Also, the Grivița Railway Yards and Lacul Morii are located nearby.
History
The ...
between
Crângași
Crângași is one of the smallest neighborhoods in the 6th Sector of Bucharest, Romania. It is situated on the west side of the city near the Dâmbovița River, where it flows into Lacul Morii. Its name means "people living in a young forest". ...
and Basarab.
Rolling stock
The Bucharest Metro uses three types of trainsets:
*
Astra IVA
Astra IVA is a family of metro train used by Bucharest Metro, of which 504 cars (252 two-car sets) were built between 1976 and 1993 by Întreprinderea de Vagoane Arad (IVA) in Arad, Romania.
History
The prototype was made in 1976, with se ...
– 84 trainsets (504 cars), built between 1976 and 1992. Only 15 trainsets (90 cars) are still operating. Until now, 69 trainsets (414 cars) have been retired from service. The remaining of 15 trainsets which are still active were refurbished by Metrorex and Alstom Transport România in 2011–2013,
used on M3 and M4;
*
Bombardier Movia 346 – 44 trainsets (264 cars), built between 2002 and 2008, used on M1, M2, M3 and M5;
*
CAF – 24 trainsets (144 cars), built between 2013 and 2016, used on M2.
The subway livery for Bucharest is either white with two yellow or red horizontal stripes below the window for the Astra trains, stainless steel with black and white for the Bombardier trains, or stainless steel with blue and white for the CAF trains.
All trains run on a , or an overhead wire (in maintenance areas where a third rail would not be safe). Maximum speed on the system is 80 km/h (50 mph), although plans are to increase it to 100 km/h (60 mph) on
M5, a new line that opened its first phase on 15 September 2020. New trains from Alstom (
Metropolis
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big c ...
) have been ordered and are due to arrive in 2023.
Incidents
In its more than 40 years of operations, there never have been very grave accidents, however, there have been various incidents, either during construction or operation. Accidents are investigated by the Railway Investigation Authority (Agenția de Investigare Feroviară Română (AGIFER)).
*1983: Due to works on M2, the Piața Unirii 1 station was flooded by the
Dâmbovița.
*1986, April or May: Whilst digging for a connection service tunnel for the M1-M2 lines, the foundations and altar of the
Slobozia Church were cracked, leading to the subsequent closure of the construction site of the tunnel, which was filled with sand. Thus, trains for the M2 were disconnected from the rest of the network up to 1987 (trains were sent through the Bucharest Freight Railway Bypass), when another link tunnel was created at Piața Victoriei.
*1987, 1 May: During reconstruction work at Piața Unirii, the Dâmbovița was breached again, this time flooding both stations and forcing train circulation to cease for the next 5 days as a result. The flooding took place during a heavy rainstorm and during work on the
Unirii Underpass (which was opened on 6 June 1987, after a record 34 days of work), when an excavator damaged a collecting canal of the Dâmbovița, flooding the underpass construction site, and subsequently, the M1 station. The M2 metro station was flooded due to an improperly sealed tube, designed for electric installations. At its peak, the flooding was 30 centimeters over the platforms, but further damages to the electrical transformers were avoided.
*1987, 2 May: During recovery from the flooding at Piața Unirii the previous day, the tunnel between Timpuri Noi and Mihai Bravu was found fully submerged by the Dâmbovița, possibly in relation to the previous incident. Signalling and other electrical cables were damaged, which further prolonged the repair efforts for the previous incident.
*1996, 4 March: The metro workers began a strike, demanding a 48% pay increase to offset inflation and better working conditions. It continued for at least 2 days, and was condemned by the Văcăroiu government as illegal.
*2010, 17 November: An IVA train derailed between Timpuri Noi and Piața Unirii.
*2015, 14 January: Due to a broken pipe, a fire started out at Tineretului station, leading to its closure for the rest of the day.
*2016, 14 June: Piața Victoriei was closed after huge amounts of smoke originated from the third rail.
*2017, 20 January: A fire, originating from electrical contactors, led to the evacuation of the Universitate station, subsequently leading to the closure of one of the tracks towards Piața Unirii.
*2018, 16 August: A train in Piața Unirii had to be evacuated, after someone began pepper-spraying the consist stopped in the station.
*2019, 26 January: A newly purchased CAF unit crashed in the Berceni depot. The train, which was stabled outside, was being shunted into the depot to prevent icing, however, due to software failure, it could not stop on time and crashed past the buffers. It is likely that the train could be scrapped since there is no way to remove it.
*2021, 26 March: A sudden strike, launched by the union of the metro employees began at 5 AM, effectively blocking the circulation of all trains. The dispute is related to the activity of commercial spaces within metro stations.
Aside from these incidents, there have been other disruptions, especially in the last 3 years, due to suicides at the metro. A recent one on 25 June 2019, led to the disruption of metro traffic at rush hour between Piața Unirii and Eroilor (the suicide took place at Izvor). Aside from that, in 2017, one woman was arrested for pushing a person in front of a train. These incidents led to criticism of METROREX, and suggestions to install
platform screen doors
Platform screen doors (PSDs), also known as platform edge doors (PEDs), are used at some train, rapid transit and people mover stations to separate the platform from train tracks, as well as on some bus rapid transit, tram and light rail syste ...
or to increase security. Additionally,
railfan
A railfan, rail buff or train buff (American English), railway enthusiast, railway buff or trainspotter (Australian/British English), or ferroequinologist is a person who is recreationally interested in trains and rail transport systems.
Rail ...
s reported harassment from security guards, being told "not to photograph in the stations", despite there being no official rule prohibiting photography in the metro network.
Facts
Bucharest Metro was the only one in the world that operated with passengers during testing.
In the 1980s, the speed of building the network (4 kilometers / year) placed the Bucharest Metro on the second place in the world, after
Mexico City Metro
The Mexico City Metro ( es, Metro de la Ciudad de México) is a rapid transit system that serves the metropolitan area of Mexico City, including some municipalities in Mexico State. Operated by the Sistema de Transporte Colectivo (STC), it is ...
.
The shortest distance between two adjacent stations is between
Gara de Nord 2 (M4) and
Basarab 2 (M4) and is 430 meters.
Network map
See also
*
List of Bucharest metro stations
This is a list of the stations on the Bucharest Metro rapid transit system in Bucharest, Romania. There are 63 stations in the Bucharest Metro.
Current Lines
* Line 1: Dristor 2 — Pantelimon
* Line 2: Pipera — Berceni
* Line 3: Preciz ...
*
Bucharest Light rail
The Bucharest light rail ( ro, Metroul ușor or "light metro") is a light rail transit system in Bucharest, Romania.
Operated by the Societatea de Transport București (STB), the municipal public transport, public transit operator, the service is ...
*
Transport in Bucharest Bucharest has the largest transport network in Romania, and one of the largest in Europe. The Bucharest transport network is made up of a metro network and a surface transport network. Although there are multiple connection points, the two systems ...
*
List of metro systems
This list of metro systems includes electrified rapid transit train systems worldwide. In some parts of the world, metro systems are referred to as subways, U-Bahn or undergrounds. , 205 cities in 61 countries have a metro system.
The London ...
*
Rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
References
External links
Metrorex – official site2015 Activity ReportInteractive subway map
Bucharest Metro Track Map
Bucharest Metro ChallengeBucharest Subway infoBucharest Metro, practical mapBucharest Metro Map
{{Rapid transit in Europe
Railway lines opened in 1979
Underground rapid transit in Romania
Transport in Bucharest
1979 establishments in Romania
750 V DC railway electrification