Details revealed for new subway station in Tbilisi

A Spanish joint venture has been selected to build a new subway station in Tbilisi’s Saburtalo district.

The new University Station, expected to cost $83 million GEL to build, will be completed by joint venture of two Spanish companies Cobra Instalaciones Y Servicios and Assignia Infraestructuras.

The new station will extend from the Vazha Pshavela station, which is currently the last stop on the Saburtalo line, and be located near Tbilisi State University’s Maglivi X building on University St.

Georgia’s Municipal Development Fund (MDF) said the tender-winning company was currently carrying out necessary preparatory works and this should be completed within one month, after which construction works should begin. The new station must be finished within two years, said MDF.

Within the project Assigna Kobra will be responsible for constructing a new subway station and restore an existing tunnel that will operate between the Vazha Pshavela and Delisi stations.

The $83 million GEL project is being funded by the Asian Development Bank with assistance from MDF. Discussions surrounding the design of the new Metro station earlier took place between Tbilisi Metropolitan, the managing company of municipal transport, and Spanish consulting firm Eurostudio.

When complete the University Station will be the 23^rd Metro station in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi. Efforts to extend the Saburtalo line and construct the new station briefly occurred several times in the past 20 years but the project was never finished.

Within the latest works Assigna Kobra will restore 2.6km of already existing tunnels on the new line. In addition, underground and above-ground buildings will also be constructed and a new subway entrance will open for the Vazha Pshavela station.

Tbilisi’s subway system opened in 1966. Today it consists of two lines measuring a total length of 27km and includes 22 fully operational Metro stations.