Knyaginya Maria Luiza Metro Station (Bulgarian: Метростанция „Княгиня Мария Луиза“) is the 21st station to open on the Sofia Metro in Bulgaria. It is situated near the Nadezhda road junction in the northern part of Sofia, at the intersection of Maria Luiza Boulevard and Gen. Stoletov Blvd. It opened on 31 August 2012 and is also known as the fifth station on the M2 line of the metro (station 5-II). It was also the first station on the path of the TBM, which worked on the section between stations 5-II and 9-II (part of phase I of the metro extension project), entirely constructed by the Turkish company Doğuş Construction, part of Doğuş Holding.^[1] The station is a shallow triple-span station with two rows of concrete and steel columns. It serves two central tracks and two side platforms. There are four street entrances, two on each side of the boulevard after which the station is named. They lead to a central vestibule, directly above the station.^[2][3][4]

Quick Facts General information, Location ...

Knyaginya Maria Luiza Княгиня Мария Луиза
General information
Location	1233 Maria Luiza Blvd., Sofia
Coordinates	42°42′50.89″N 23°18′47.12″E
Owned by	Sofia Municipality
Operated by	Metropoliten JSC
Platforms	side
Tracks	2
Bus routes	8
Connections	Bus lines: 60, 74, 77, 82, 85, 86, 101, 285 Trolleybus lines: 1, 5 Tram lines: 1, 6, 7, 12
Construction
Structure type	triple-span
Depth	14–15 m
Platform levels	2
Parking	no
Bicycle facilities	yes
Accessible	an elevator to platforms
Architect	Sibel Yapage
Other information
Status	Staffed
Station code	2989; 2990
Website	Official website
History
Opened	31 August 2012 (2012-08-31)
Passengers
2020	70,000
Services
Preceding station Sofia Metro Following station Central Railway towards Vitosha M2 line Han Kubrat towards Obelya
Location

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More information Detailed track map ...

v t e M2 and M4 lines
All stations are wheelchair accessible
Legend
Obelya Lomsko shose cont. as 2 Moderno predgradie (under construction) cont. as 4 1 Slivnitsa Beli Dunav Lyulin Nadezhda Zapaden Park Han Kubrat Vardar Knyaginya Maria Luiza Konstantin Velichkov Central Railway Opalchenska Lavov most ↖Serdika↘ ↙Serdika II↗ 3NDK SU St. Kliment Ohridski3 European Union Vasil Levski Stadium James Bourchier Joliot-Curie Vitosha G.M.Dimitrov Musagenitsa Mladost 1 1 To Business park Mladost 3 Inter Expo Center – Tsarigradsko shose Druzhba Iskarsko shose Sofiyska Sveta gora Sofia Airport Station names in italics are not confirmed.
Detailed track map Line end -8' Vitosha   ↑Opened 2016↑ -6' James Bourchier -4' European Union built 1981 opened 2012 Perlovska -2' NDK built 1981 opened 2012 NDK II 3   Serdika 1 and 4 0' Serdika II Vladayska 2' Lavov most 3' Central Railway Station 5' Knyaginya Maria Luiza BDŽ National Rail to Pernik-Kulata/Kyustendil BDŽ National Rail to Dragoman/Radomir/Bankya 00' Future extension 00' M5 Ilyantsi branch Lev Tolstoy Svoboda Iliyansko shose Ilyantsi Ilyantsi branch end 7' Han Kubrat Suhodolska 9' Nadezhda 11' Beli Dunav 13' Lomsko shose ↑Opened 2012↑   15' Obelya Kakach Moderno predgradie (under construction) National Rail to Dragoman/Radomir/Bankya   ↑Opened 2003↑ RED line to Depot   ↓Opened 1998↓ -13' Slivnitsa -11' Lyulin -8' Zapaden Park Suhodolska National Rail to Pernik-Kulata/Kyustendil -6' Vardar -4' Konstantin Velichkov   ↓Opened 1999↓ Vladayska -2' Opalchenska   ↓Opened 2000↓ 0' Serdika Serdika II 2   ↓Opened 2009↓ 3' Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski Orlov Most 3 Perlovska 5' Vasil Levski Stadium 8' Joliot-Curie WTC Novachitsa 10' G.M.Dimitrov 12' Musagenitsa Darvenishka 14' Mladost 1 00' 1 to Business Park   ↓Opened 2015↓   16' Aleksandar Malinov 18' Akademik Aleksandar Teodorov - Balan Banishka 20' Business Park Sofia Mladost branch end 00'   ↓Opened 2012↓   16' Mladost 3 18' Inter Expo Center – Tsarigradsko shose   ↓Opened 2015↓ 20' Druzhba 23' Iskarsko shose National Rail to Ihtiman/Karlovo 25' Sofiyska Sveta gora 27' Sofia Airport Terminal 2 Airport branch end

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West side:

• City Bus service: 77, 82, 85, 86, 101, 285

East side:

• Tramway service: 1, 6, 7, 12
• Trolleybus service: 1, 5
• City Bus service: 60, 74, 77, 82, 85, 86, 101, 285

The station is located at 116 Maria Luiza Boulevard. As development to the north is restricted by the ground-level mainline railway service passing east to west, this station serves mostly areas located to its south. It serves mainly the residential district of Banishora.

To the south:

• Fifth General Hospital^[6]
• Sofia County Cancer Center^[7]
• John Paul Hematologic Diseases Hospital^[8]
• Zora Eye Clinic^[9]
• Nadezhda Trolleybus Depot^[10]

To the north:

• The National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC) Head Office^[11]
• Tsar Boris III National Transportation General Hospital,^[12] owned by MTITC

Initially, in the project the station was named Banishora for the neighbourhood it serves. Afterwards, the official name was chosen to be in honour of Maria Luiza, Princess consort of Bulgaria, as one of four stations constructed under Maria Luiza Boulevard in Sofia, the other three being Central Railway Station, Lavov most, and Serdika II.

Construction began as part of phase I of the Sofia Metro Extension Project, funded by the ERDF under Priority Axis 3 of OP Transport 2007-2013, Improvement of Intermodality for Passenger and Freight, and the National Budget in the amount of €185,190,000.^[13] Phase I consisted in the construction of 4 stations and interconnecting tunnels and the inclusion of two stations built in the 1980s, plus another newly built station with national funding only. The TBM boring began a few hundred metres to the north-west of the station on 6 April 2010.^[14][15] It was decided to bore a single tunnel with a double track with a diameter of 9.4 metres which called for high ceiling stations for the TBM to pass through. Maria Luiza Station was the first station on its path and the TBM reached the station in the first week of October, 2010.^[16] By the end of November 2010 the station was constructively entirely completed.^[17] By 21 May 2012 the station was fully completed.^[18]

The station is a two-level underground station with the tracks and platforms on the lower level and a vestibule with turnstile gates and pedestrian underpasses on the upper level. It is a triple-span station with two rows of columns, one on each side-platform. Both tracks run in the centre and are powered by a third rail +825V. The platforms are 104 metres long. The station is accessible by elevators on all levels from all four entrances at ground level. Escalators are installed on all levels (including ground level) for ease of access going upwards. The main colours of the station are pale green and beige. The architectural project is credited to the Turkish company Doğuş Construction, part of Doğuş Holding.^[1][19]

The station was inaugurated as part of a grand opening ceremony for the inauguration of the entire second BLUE line on 31 August 2012 in the presence of Bulgaria's PM Boyko Borisov and the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso.^[20][21][22]

• Sofia Metro