Transport minister plans to drop the Otopeni subway line project

Newsroom 04/07/2013 | 13:45

Romania’s transport minister, Relu Fenechiu, said that building a new subway line to Otopeni Airport requires a “huge” investment that wouldn’t be justified by the estimated transport flow.

The minister suggested that a railway project would be the cheaper alternative, underlining that the transportation time would be the same.

“I will propose to the government to replace this project with a ground project, because we have the railway infrastructure close to the airport and we could expand it and eventually put in underground in the airport area, and have a link that is ten times cheaper and that registers similar transport times,” said Fenechiu, quoted by Mediafax newswire.

The railway line connecting Bucharest with the airport is already operational but hasn’t been popular. The passangers have to be transferred by bus from the railway station, near Otopeni, to the airport. Alternatively, they can use an express bus line or take a cab.

Fenechiu said his initiative hasn’t been thoroughly discussed with PM Ponta yet. The Otopeni line, which has an estimated cost of EUR 1.2 billion, will be financed from EU funds.

A consortium comprising Japan’s Padeco and Oriental Consultants, Romania’s Metro, and France’s Seneca Group International and Systram provided consulting services for the Otopeni line. The EUR 66.6 million consulting contract was closed by Metrorex, the state-owned subway operating company, at the end of 2011.

Building works are under way on the EUR 1.2 billion subway line connecting Drumul Taberei neighborhood with Piata Universitatii (central Bucharest). The line is expected to become operational in early 2016.