About the project “Poduyane station”

Today, on the eve of one of the holiest Christian holidays, the reconstruction of the second largest railway station in Sofia – Poduyane station, is already a fact. Poduyane railway station is  built in 1930 and was not overhauled until 2019.  The Poduyane station complex is part of the Sofia-Plovdiv railway line, which is the busiest in the country. The number of arriving and departing passengers on this route is around 1.4 million.

The reception building of Poduyane station was built in 1930 according to the project of arch. Panayot Kalchev, one of the most prominent architects of railway stations in Bulgaria. Because of its architectural appearance, the station is a popular set for feature films and commercials. Within the framework of the completed project, the decorative elements of the facade and the ornaments on the walls in the waiting room were restored, fully preserving their authenticity. Retrieved from  is the pavilion built into the waiting room, which is emblematic of the building. “The interior of the waiting room is a real treasure trove of shapes and details. The windows remind us of those in a temple building – a temple of progress, of development, of Bulgaria’s prosperity. A cathedral of the railway from another era, when the most environmentally friendly and energy efficient transport was held in high esteem in our country. Characteristic are the “oberlicht” windows through which the lighting of the canopy of the first platform is carried out. The same have been restored,” said the Director General of the NK Railway at the opening ceremony.  Eng. Papukchinski.

After the reconstruction, Poduyane railway station has been completely renovated, meeting all European requirements for energy efficiency, technical safety and accessible environment.   During the renovation a complete renovation of the reception building was carried out, new energy-efficient and  high-tech modern installations were built – electrical, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, security, video surveillance, public address.

The official opening of the site was made by the Director General of NKWi Eng. Krasimir Papukchiski, the Chairman of the Board of NKVZ Hristo Alexiev, the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Rosen Zhelyazkov and the Mayor of Sofia Municipality Yordanka Fandakova. During the event, the new high-tech and multi-purpose tractor, purchased with funds from the National Railway Company, was presented.  The use of these new machines will significantly improve  transport  and loading and unloading activities related to the maintenance of the railway in the country and will significantly reduce the time for traffic recovery in emergency situations. Last but not least, these new motorized tractors will ease the working conditions of the workers performing the ongoing maintenance and repair of the railway and its facilities and will remove the accumulated snow mass from the snow ploughing faster.

The reconstruction of Poduyane station complex is implemented with co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Operational Programme Transport and Transport Infrastructure 2014-2020, and the value of the construction contract for  the site is 2 903 166, 23 BGN excluding VAT, with the contractor Infrastructural Construction AD.