The two metro stations in the direction of Lyulin have increased in price by BGN130 million

The two new metro stations on Tsaritsa Yoana Boulevard will cost over BGN271.4 million excluding VAT. It’s the total amount the contractors selected by Metropoliten are asking for their work. It exceeds the estimated value of the contract, announced back in 2024, by nearly BGN130 million. Officials opened the price offers more than a year and a half after the procedure began, on December 12, 2024. The winners are consortia led by Geostroy as well as GP Group and Trace Group Hold.

The winners are consortia led by Geostroy as well as GP Group and Trace Group Hold. The authority made the decision to select contractors on December 22, 2024, just a few days after it opened the price offers.

The long wait

We’d like to remind you that the tender for engineering (design and construction) started in April 2024 with an estimated value of BGN 142 million excluding VAT. The procedure was divided into two separate positions – for each of the two stations.

The first, which will be in the area of the Ring Road, had an estimated value of BGN68 million excluding VAT. The second, which will be immediately after the existing Lyulin station, had an estimated value of BGN74 million excluding VAT.

It became clear in September 2024 that a total of seven participants were involved in the procedure. Since then there’s been no progress on the order. However the Commission’s report makes it clear that the price offers were opened on December 12, 2024. Prior to that other participants dropped out of the race for various reasons.

Who won and who was eliminated?

Four participants submitted bids for the metro station in the Okolovrasten Pat area: two companies and two consortia. These were:

• The Metro Build Lyulin consortium, with participants GP Group, Trace Group Hold and CHV Consult;
• The Metro Lyulin West consortium, with participant Geostroy;
• BS Konstruktsiya AD, although the reports show that the company was actually part of a consortium – Metro – Lyulin – 2024 DZZD;
• Monolit Sofia AD.

Monolit Sofia was eliminated at the selection criteria assessment stage.

The commission found that for the last three completed financial years the company had achieved a minimum total turnover of BGN 68.431 million and a minimum turnover of BGN 55.710 million in the field covered by the contract. The total and specific turnover figures are lower than the required ones – BGN 100 million and BGN 65 million, respectively.

The participant has declared that in order to meet the requirements for economic and financial standing it has relied on the capacity of Patista i Mostove EOOD as a third party.

According to Article 65, paragraph 3 of the Public Procurement Act when a participant relies on the capacity of third parties it must prove it’ll have their resources at its disposal. However the commission found no proof and therefore disqualified the company from the competition.

Due to omissions in the annexes to the technical offers, BS Konstruktsiya AD was also eliminated as the company was part of the Metro – Lyulin – 2024 DZZD consortium.

Thus at the technical offer stage Metro Lyulin West (note: the winner) received the highest number of points — 52 while Metro Build Lyulin received 50.9 points.

This led to the opening of the price offers of the two participants. It became clear that Metro Build Lyulin offered a price of over BGN157 million excluding VAT while Metro Lyulin West offered over BGN133.7 million excluding VAT. Both offers are well above the estimated value for the position, which is BGN 68 million excluding VAT.

Nevertheless the Commission didn’t stop there and carried out a comprehensive ranking. In this ranking the consortium led by Geostroy — Metro Lyulin West received the maximum number of 100 points and the commission proposed it as the contractor. Metro Build Lyulin received a total of 91.78 points and remained in second place.

For the other station, which’ll be built immediately after the existing Lyulin station, three consortia expressed interest:

• DZZD Metro Lyulin, with participants Obonato Build, Geostroy and Smart Build Digital;
• DZZD Metro Lyulin 2024, with participants GP Group and Trace Group Hold;
• Association Metroline 1 – 2024, with participants Monolith Sofia and H.S.S.

Here the commission eliminates the Metro Line 1 – 2024 consortium first, with participants Monolith Sofia and H.S.S. The reason is omissions in the attachments to the technical offer.

In the ranking based on technical offers Metro Lyulin 2024 receives the most points – 52 points – and Metro Lyulin – 48.88 points.

This brings us to the moment of opening the price offers.

Metro Lyulin offered a price of over BGN156.5 million excluding VAT while the consortium of GP Group and Trace Group – Metro Lyulin 2024 – offered over BGN137.7 million excluding VAT. Here too the bids exceed the estimated price of BGN74 million excluding VAT.

In the final ranking Metro Lyulin 2024 remains in the lead with a total of 100 points. Metro Lyulin remains in second place with a total of 91.10 points.

Subcontractors

Although the contracts haven’t yet been signed, the winning bids specify subcontractors who’ll undertake the specialized activities.

For the station at Okolovrastno, which Geostroy will build, INFRASITI-RB (design of road works and rail tracks), BIAS-M (architecture and structures) and Start-Engineering will participate.

For the station at Lyulin, which GP Group and Trace Group will build, the main subcontractor for electromechanical systems, automation and telecommunications is Start-Engineering AD.

About the stations

The idea of extending the first metro line beyond the existing Lyulin station isn’t new. In 2023 the former director of Metropoliten, Stoyan Bratoev, commented on the extension, noting that a general development plan and route had been approved. Even then it was clear that the distance between stations would be 2 km and that they’d serve about 30 000 passengers from the first three micro-districts of Lyulin.

Parallel to the construction of the metro Tsaritsa Yoana Boulevard will also be expanded and new sidewalks and a bike lane will be built along its length. They’ll also build a parking lot with about 1 000 spaces in the area, which according to information from municipal councilor Simeon Stavrev on Facebook is included in the current order. However at the start of the project it was clear that it would have to be built separately under another order.

The construction period is set at 36 mos, or 3 yr. However when the two new stations will be able to serve passengers depends on when construction will begin and where the funding will come from. The documentation states it’s “национално,” but it’s very likely that money will come from European programs, as announced on the Facebook page of the “Transport and Urban Mobility” department of the Sofia Municipality at the start of the tender.

The first station, which’ll be in the area of the Ring Road, will have a built-up area of over 4.5 decares and a length of 158 m. The width of the platforms will be 4.5 m. Construction will be based on the “Milan method.”

Planners intend a total of six entrances and exits – three on the north side and three on the south side. The northeast entrance and exit provide a pedestrian connection between the lobby and the north sidewalk of Tsaritsa Yoana Boulevard and Dobrinova Skala Street. The southeast entrance and exit provide a pedestrian connection to the south sidewalk of Tsaritsa Yoana Boulevard. The southeast entrance-exit will provide a pedestrian connection to the south sidewalk of Tsaritsa Yoana Blvd. The west lobby will have a 193 m-long pedestrian underpass that passes under the roundabout at Okolovrasten Pat Blvd.

One pair of exits – northwest and southwest – connect the beginning of the pedestrian underpass with the terrain at the roundabout under the Ring Road. The other two exits are located at the end of the pedestrian underpass and connect the west lobby with the western sidewalks of the roundabout.

The other pair of exits are located at the end of the pedestrian underpass and connect the western lobby with the western sidewalks of the roundabout, the future multi-storey parking lot and the area west of the roundabout.

The second metro station, which’ll follow immediately after the existing Lyulin station, will have a total floor area of 6.5 decares and a length of 164 m. Its platforms will be 4.7 - 5.7 m wide. Construction will again be based on the Milan method.

Planners have designed four entrances/exits – two on the north side and two on the south side. The eastern lobby will have two entrances/exits – one to the northeast, which’ll connect the lobby to the northern sidewalk of Tsaritsa Yoana Blvd. and one to the southeast, which’ll connect the lobby to the southern sidewalk of Tsaritsa Yoana Blvd. The western lobby will have the other entrances and exits – northwest and southwest, which will connect the lobby to the northern and southern sidewalks of Tsaritsa Yoana Blvd. respectively.

We’d like to remind you that construction is already underway on the so-called intermediate metro station between Lyulin and Obelya. The contractor is also Geostroy and it’ll be ready by October 2026. Funding comes from the Sofia Municipality but also under the new EU program “Transport Connectivity” (2021 - 2027).

Translated with DeepL.