By 1970, the public transport system (ITB) was no longer adequate due to the fast pace of urban development, although the system was the fourth-largest in Europe. A commission was set up, and its conclusion pointed to the necessity of an underground transit system that would become the Bucharest Metro. The plan for the first line was approved on 25 November 1974 as part of the next five-year plan and the construction on the new metro system started on 20 September 1975.[11]
Bucharest Metro
Public transport in Bucharest is heavily subsidized, and the subsidies will increase, as the City Council wants to reduce traffic jams, pollution and parking problems and promote public transport.[citation needed] Like the STB, the metro can get crowded during morning and evening rush hours. The network uses magnetic stripe cards, that are not valid for use on trams, buses or trolleys . Payment by contactless credit cards is available directly at the turnstiles. One tap will take 3 RON, the equivalent of one trip. For multiple validations with the same card, tap the plus button. Starting from 29 July 2021 Metrorex began replacing the magnetic stripe cards with contactless ones for weekly and monthly passes.[22] As of November 2021 they've replaced most of the cards with contactless ones.
Aside from these incidents, there have been other disruptions, especially in the last 3 years, due to suicides at the metro. A recent one on 25 June 2019, led to the disruption of metro traffic at rush hour between Piața Unirii and Eroilor (the suicide took place at Izvor). Aside from that, in 2017, one woman was arrested for pushing a person in front of a train. These incidents led to criticism of METROREX, and suggestions to install platform screen doors or to increase security. Additionally, railfans reported harassment from security guards, being told "not to photograph in the stations", despite there being no official rule prohibiting photography in the metro network.
Bozgor and non-bozgor husband and wife couple here, potentially spending a couple of days in Bucharest en route to Varna. It's hard to deny that the Bucharest metro has surpassed the Budapest metro, as a transportation buff I'm jealous of this fact, but how serviceable is it? I found a couple of accommodations in sector 6, near the metro stations (particularly around Petrache Poenaru, Grozavesti), and I'm about to pull the trigger on one of them, but I would be interested in a local's take on how reliable the metro system is, and if there's anything I should know about sector 6, mainly about the areas closer to the city centre.
We will have a bus to catch at Militari in the morning. I guess M1 > change to M3 at Eroilor will be the fastest way to get there (edit: there being the nearby Pacii metro station at the bus station). How much time will that take on a Monday morning? Is the metro a Moscow-style super-crowded alternate reality where you genuinely don't know when you will see the surface again during rush hour, or is it more manageable?
The first time I came to Bucharest 18 years ago, the metro system was my best friend. I knew that going by metro, I could never get lost, I had a map of the Bucharest subway and marked down the stations closed to the places I frequently went to. It is true that being Romanian made it easier for me to understand where I was, how things work, and ask in case I was unsure of things.
The Bucharest metro in general works smoothly and it is not a problem for foreigners to get around. However, there are a few things you should be aware of to make sure your journey underground Bucharest goes smoothly.
Either ask for a map at the sales booths before passing the metro gates, or download and print one including all four Bucharest metro lines. The official metro map is here, including the lines they are working on.
Mark down the metro stations close to the places you go most often, and those close to downtown, where you could meet people. Get a Romanian friend to pronounce the names of metro stations for you and try to learn how they are pronounced. Even if you don't speak a lot of Romanian, you can always ask for directions just by saying the word metro (which is very similar to the Romanian metrou) and the name of the station you're interested in. Alternatively, show the map with the place you're trying to reach. Below are the names of all metro stations in Bucharest.
When reading out the map, don't assume too much, and better ask for extra safety. I, for example, assumed the new hub at Gara de Nord works as any Bucharest metro node, meaning you can cross from one line to the other without validating your ticket again. And I was wrong. You had to enter another separate metro station, reachable via underground, but locked with a validation system (and then at a close look at the map, I could see the hub symbol was a little different, the two dots were not connected, like for all other hubs).
In order to travel by metro in Bucharest, you have to have either a card with trips, or a subscription, and validate your card upon each entry to the system. Unlike many other metro systems in Western European countries, even if you will see some zones marked on the map, the fares are not dependent on how many zones you will travel through. The fare is fixed, and one trip is valid for as long as you want, provided you stay underground.
There are different types of metro cards you could use, depending on the place you buy them, how long you plan to use the subway system, and on whether you want to use public transport above the ground as well.
The two easiest options are to buy the metro cards from the points of sale downstairs at the metro stations (you would have to ask for the ticket form the sales lady in most of them, but some stations also have ticket machines with an option in English), or get a bus + metro subscription for a month, which allows you to travel by metro as often as you like. Here are the types of passes available and their prices.
The metro trains in Bucharest are usually on time, and each station has an electronic board where you can see how many minutes remaining until the next train arrives. On most lines, during the week, trains arrive every 3-4 to 9 minutes, sometimes up to 12 minutes even (usually late in the evening, and on weekends, trains arrive more rarely).
But sometimes accidents happen and you will have to wait a bit until the train is cleared to go, or it is too crowded and you won't be able to fit into the first train that arrives (especially at peak times, mornings and afternoons). Always add at least an extra 10-15 minutes when calculating the time it takes you to get to the metro, take the metro train ride, and walk /ride to your destination. Calculate about 3 to 5 minutes for each metro station when computing your metro route. Then take into account the time needed to reach a different track inside a metro hub, like Victoriei, Unirii or Dristor, for example. At rush hours, walking from one station to the other inside the hub can be a painfully slow experience and you will have to kamikaze your way through the row of people coming from the opposite direction to be able to outpace people and avoid being late.
Sometimes it can get very crowded in metro trains. Keep all your bags close to you, and money and wallet in secured places. I have never been robbed on the metro as I always keep my hands on wallet and phone and secure my bag, but it has happened to other people I know.
It may be confusing with all the Piata Unirii 1 and 2, and Victoriei 1 and 2, I know. In all honesty, I never knew which is which, but even if I don't know which number is which, I know what metro entrance takes me to what line, or what exits to take to reach the area above the ground where I want to end up.
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