The President of the County Council (CJ) of Cluj, Alin Tişe, issued on Thursday the urban planning certificate for the subway project. The future Floresti – Cluj-Napoca subway system will have a route of about 20 km long and count 19 underground stations, and an underground depot.
„We have issued the necessary urban planning certificate for the elaboration of the urban zoning and the feasibility studies necessary to start the first stage of the project: ”The Metropolitan Train Gilău – Floresti – Cluj-Napoca – Baciu – Apahida – Jucu – Bontida” – subway and metropolitan train bus, including the connection between the two.
It is a project of utmost importance for both Cluj-Napoca and the metropolitan area as well as for the whole county,” Alin Tişe wrote on Facebook.
According to the issued document, the future Florești – Cluj-Napoca subway line will have a route of about 20 km and will include 19 underground stations and an underground depot. Of these, 14 stations will be located on the territory of Cluj-Napoca, on the west-center-east axis and will serve the main points of interest, Tişe detailed.
The proposed route of the subway is as follows: the southern area of the municipality of Florești – the future regional emergency hospital – the shopping center of Florești – the Mănăștur district – the center of Cluj-Napoca and the eastern area of the city, respectively the Aurel Vlaicu/Ira Bridge area.
Cristian Ghinea, Minister of European Investments and Projects, said in an interview with Economedia that one of the major projects proposed for funding in the National Recovery and Resilience Program (NRRP) is the Cluj subway.
The project must be completed by August 2026, the deadline for Member States to spend the money allocated by the EU through this post-pandemic economic recovery programme.
Asked by Economedia if there was enough time for the Cluj metro to be financed through this program, which is only in the beginning phase with the technical documentation, Cristian Ghinea said that he had received assurances that it would be done on time.
„Mr. Emil Boc has assured me that it will be done, but it can be divided into sections and at least a section or two would be ready. We report on the number of kilometers constructed. If there’s a risk of delay, we can at least report a segment of it, so we can get at least part of the funding,” Ghinea said.
Translation: Ovidiu Harfas