Japanese money to fuel airport metro line

The Japanese government will lend Romania around EUR 315 million to build the metro connection to Henri Coanda (Otopeni) airport, according to the Japanese ambassador to Bucharest, Natsuo Amemiya. The line will connect downtown Bucharest to the international airport, providing a much needed alternative to driving through the crowded city center. The solution should alleviate traffic congestion in the capital and reduce air pollution, according to the Transport Ministry.

The new metro line will require EUR 1 billion of investment in total. Works are expected to last six years. The 16km link will be entirely underground, with 19 stops and a depot. Some 21 trains will run on the new line, which could transport 50,000 people an hour each way.

This is not the only new metro line planned for Bucharest. Another will connect the Drumul Taberei area south-west of Bucharest – one of the few remaining neighborhoods without any metro connection to the city – to downtown. The line will require EUR 883 million, out of which around half will be covered through a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB), while the rest will come from the state budget, according to data released end of last year. The 9km line will feature 14 stations.

Corina Saceanu

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