Drilling begins on M6 subway tunnel linking Bucharest to Otopeni Airport
<p>Drilling has officially begun on the future M6 subway line connecting Bucharest to Henri Coandă International Airport (also known as Otopeni Airport), transport minister Sorin Grindeanu announced Wednesday, April 9, during a site visit to the Tokyo station construction site. The first tunnel boring machine (TBM) has been installed at Băneasa to begin excavation for the subway galleries of the line’s first section.</p>

<p>“Today marks the start of actual drilling work on the first section (1 Mai–Tokyo) of the M6 line. The first TBM is already positioned in the tunnel at Băneasa, on the site of the future ‘Tokyo’ station, and will begin drilling,” Grindeanu said on Wednesday.</p>

<p>The M6 subway line is one of Romania’s most significant infrastructure projects, with a total value of RON 7.8 billion (excluding VAT). The full route will stretch over 14.2 kilometers and include 12 stations between 1 Mai and Otopeni Airport.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The line will be served by 12 new subway trains and is divided into two major sections.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The first section - 1 Mai to Tokyo - is approximately 7 kilometers long and includes six stations: Pajura, Expoziției, Piața Montreal, Gara Băneasa, Aeroport Băneasa, and Tokyo. Construction on this segment is being carried out by a consortium of Turkish contractors who have reached a physical completion rate of over 27%. The structural works for this section are scheduled to be completed by 2028.</p>

<p>The second section - Tokyo to Otopeni Airport - will add another 7.6 kilometers to the line and six more stations: Washington, Paris, Bruxelles, Otopeni, Ion I.C. Brătianu, and Aeroport Otopeni. This segment is also being developed by a Turkish consortium, with structural completion expected by the end of 2027, Sorin Grindeanu said.</p>

<p>In addition to infrastructure work, construction teams will begin work on finishing, track laying, and operational systems. A contract for these components, worth RON 1.7 billion (excluding VAT), was signed last month.</p>

<p>Funding for the entire M6 subway line, including rolling stock, is secured through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), a loan from the Japanese government via the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Romania’s state budget.</p>

<p>Minister Grindeanu also reiterated his intention to eventually transfer Metrorex - the company operating Bucharest’s subway system - to the authority of the City Hall, complete with its subsidies. “If we want a fully integrated transport system in Bucharest, Metrorex must come under the City Hall, including the state subsidy,” he said, as quoted by <a href="https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/economie/transporturi/a-inceput-forarea-tunelului-de-metrou-spre-aeroportul-otopeni-grindeanu-undeva-in-2027-2028-vom-avea-aceasta-magistrala-3191433" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Digi24</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also present at the construction site, prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said that construction of the subway line to Otopeni Airport is more than just an infrastructure project, “it is a symbol of progress, ambition, and our commitment to the future.”</p>

<p>&nbsp;“Every modern European capital should have a direct subway connection to its main airport. And Bucharest deserves to be a model of modernity - a city free from the suffocating traffic of recent years, a capital where mobility becomes a right accessible to all,” the PM said.</p>

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<p><i>irina.marica@romania-insider.com</i></p>

<p><i>(Photo source: Gov.ro)</i></p>