European Union Metro Station Explained

European Union
Native Name:Европейски съюз
Native Name Lang:bg
Style:Sofia Metro
Address:1421 Lozenets, Sofia
Coordinates:42.6796°N 23.3215°W
Owned:Sofia Municipality
Operator:Metropoliten JSC
Platforms:island
Tracks:2
Bus Routes:4
Structure:sub-surface
Levels:2
Parking:no
Bicycle:yes
Accessible:yes
Architect:Elena and Farid Paktiawal
Status:Staffed
Code:2979; 2980
Passengers:170,000
Pass Year:2020
Mapframe:yes

European Union Metro Station (Bulgarian: Метростанция „Европейски съюз“; Metrostantsiya „Evropeyski sayuz“) is a station on the Sofia Metro in Bulgaria. It opened on 31 August 2012. Bulgaria's PM Boyko Borisov and the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso inaugurated the new section of the Sofia Metro, which was funded with EU money. Barroso expressed his delight that the metro station was named after the European Union.[1] [2]

History

As the Sofia underground network was planned in the late 1970s, the station, along with the NDK Metro Station, was originally built in the early 1980s, along with the building of the National Palace of Culture.[3] The original project name of the station was "Hemus" (the name of the large hotel next to the station); during the building of Line 2 of the Sofia Metro, it was planned to be called "Sveti Naum" (as it is located at the intersection of the Cherni Vrah and Sv. Naum boulevards). Shortly before the opening of the station, the city council (dominated by the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party) controversially voted to change the name to "European Union".[4] As the timing was so close to the opening of Line 2, many of the maps in the trains still retained the name "St. Naum" even after station was opened to the public.[5]

Interchange with other public transport

Location

The European Union Metro Station is situated nearby the Earth and Man National Museum and City Center Sofia.

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=142808 Sofia Expands Its Metro, Barroso Pleased
  2. http://www.segabg.com/article.php?id=614718 Barroso: I'm glad you named a metro station adter the EU
  3. http://btvnews.bg/bulgaria/metrostantsiya-zevropeiski-syuz-stroena-predi-syuzt-da-sshchestvuva.html "EU" Metro Station - Todor Zhivkov made the first dig before the EU even existed
  4. http://www.dnes.bg/index/2012/06/14/sledvashta-stanciia-evropeiski-syiuz.161338 Next Station: European Union
  5. http://bnt.bg/bg/news/view/83799/kyde_e_stancija_evropejski_syuz Where is "EU" Station?