Passenger traffic at Bucharest metro, up only 3pct in last 6 years

Passenger traffic at metro stations in Bucharest increased by 3pct between 2014 and 2019, up to 177 million, and the busiest station is Aurel Vlaicu, which registered an advance of 46pct in the number of passengers, from 5.4 million to 8.1 million, compared to the reference period, shows a Crosspoint Real Estate analysis, based on Metrorex data.

"Although the stock of offices in the capital has almost doubled in the last 6 years, reaching over 3 million square meters in which approximately 350,000 employees work, the number of metro trips has not registered a significant increase during this period. Metro stations in Bucharest increased by a total of only 3pct from 2014 to 2019, from 173 million to 177 million passengers. The changes in the rankings of the busiest metro stations stations reflect especially the development of the office segment in the capital. Aurel Vlaicu station, ranked 8th among the busiest stations in 2014, is now the first in this top, with a 46pct increase, from 5.4 million to 8.1 million passengers compared to 2014," mentions the analysis.

According to the authors of the analysis, this increase is directly proportional to that in the stock of offices in the area in recent years, with the number of employees in the Aurel Vlaicu / Pipera areas reaching over 120,000 in 2019.

The M2 metro line connecting the south to the north of Bucharest continues to be the busiest, but the number of trips on this route has decreased by 7pct in the last six years.

On the other hand, the only metro line that has registered an increase in passenger traffic is M4, as a result of the opening in 2017 of two new stations, respectively Laminorului and Straulesti.

Founded in 2005, Crosspoint Real Estate offers both real estate trading and consulting services, as well as financial solutions needed for large investors, for all types of properties: offices, retail, industrial, land, hotels and residential.