Аn unique tunnel design will guarantee the preservation of the archeological monuments next to TSUM. On 09.12.2010 the icon with the image of St. Ivan Rilski, the guardian saint of underground construction works, was placed at the worksite. This ritual is traditional for the commencement of drilling of each tunnel by the Bulgarian construction company Adval, which started the construction of the tunnel at Metro Station ІІ - 8 of the Second Metro Diameter, situated at the Knyaginya Maria Luisa Blvd. – between the Largo, Tsum and the Market Hall (Hali).
The Metro Station will be constructed, based on a tunneling method. The 108 m. Long tunnel, with a cross section of 258 sq.m. will be the largest tunnel facility with such a cross section in Europe. Its construction is the only way to preserve the archeological layer.
Metro Station ІІ – 8 is a particularly important part of the Sofia Metro. It is a part of the second Metro Diameter /Nadezhda, Central Railway Station, NDK, Japanese Hotel /, connecting to the First Metro Diameter at the Serdika Station /Lyulin, Mladost, Tsarigradsko Shose /, where the two lines cross.
The implementation of this project, apart from fully preserving the archeology, will also make it possible to display the monuments properly, so that all the residents and guests of Sofia will be able to see and enjoy.
The event was attended by Sofia’s Architect General – Arch. Petar Dikov, the tunnel designers, the contractors from Adval AD, representatives of Metropoliten EAD – the metro operator, as well as the major media.
