The Militari neighborhood, one of the densest in Bucharest and among the few without a real park for decades, is nearing the completion of the most ambitious green project in the west of the capital. Work on Phase 3, the last of Liniei Park, has started in a straight line. The interim mayor of District 6, Paul Moldovan, stated for “Adevărul” that the first two sections will be ready by the end of July, the next two will be completed by the end of the year. In parallel, the City Hall of Sector 6 is trying to definitively obtain the lands belonging to CFR SA, for which it currently pays rent.
The route on which the park is developing has a history of more than seven decades. The railway line was built in 1946, with the role of connection between Bucharest West Railway Station, the Cotroceni area and Panduri. After the closure of Filaret Station in 1960, the infrastructure was used exclusively for industrial activities in the Military area, and after 1989, with the deindustrialization process, the activity steadily decreased. In 2011, the line was completely decommissioned.
In the following years, the area became a wasteland, plagued by makeshift parking lots, waste and urban decay, despite being in close proximity to tens of thousands of residents. The reconversion project has gradually transformed this space into an urban green corridor, the first two phases, spread over approximately 8 hectares, having already been completed.
Liniei Park will have 16 hectares
The new stage of the project covers 81,500 square meters, between Lujerului Street and Valea Cascadelor, and is divided into four sections with different functionalities. The works are executed by an association formed by Ro-Verde Landscaping, Cris Garden, Garden Center Grup and Geca Impex, based on a contract of 57.7 million lei without VAT.
Section 1, between Valea Cascadelor and Valea Lungă, will include a Cycle Hub for bike hire, two playgrounds, a soccer field, dog area, badminton court, ping pong area and two wall fountains.
Section 2, between Valea Lungă and Moinești, will house a skate park, a calisthenics area, a dry deck fountain and a new playground.
Section 3, between Moinești and Răsăritului, is designed as a space with a cultural and community component, including an urban garden, an exhibition area, a square and public food spaces.
Section 4, between Răsăritului and Lujerului, completes the complex with basketball and volleyball courts, a chess area, fitness space and a second Cycle Hub.
District 6 City Hall: The first phase of Liniei Park will be completed in May. When work begins on the second stage
Paul Moldova The first two sections, completed by the end of July at the latest
The interim mayor of Sector 6, Paul Moldovan, presented the status of the project and explained the steps taken to take over the lands owned by CFR SA.
“We are working on the third, last, phase of the park. It is already being executed. The third phase is divided into four sections. Two will be ready in the summer, two at the end of the year. What we did yesterday (ed. – Thursday) was to ask the CFR, please, the Government, through PMB, to receive under administration, by Government decision, the lands that now belong to CFR SA”, said Paul Moldovan for Adevărul.
The mayor stated that the lands are currently being used on the basis of lease contracts and that the local administration is looking for an administrative transfer solution.
“Now we pay a rent for these lands to the CFR, according to some contracts that we have concluded. And we believe that we should receive them, even conditional on the preservation of the railway line, although it is almost destroyed and cannot be put back into operation. But if they want us to preserve part of the infrastructure, we agree.” explained the mayor.
In the view of the administration of Sector 6, the optimal option would be the transfer of the lands to the Municipality of Bucharest, followed by their assignment in administration to the sector.
“I think the most correct thing would be to actually receive those lands from the Municipality of Bucharest, and for the General Council to give them to us for administration, since there is already a park there. It’s just an administrative procedure that we do. The work continues.” stated the interim mayor of Sector 6.
The local authorities estimate that the first two sections, between Lujerului Street and Moinești Street, will be completed by the end of July, and the rest by the end of the year.
“Anyway, we have started pouring the bike lanes. The work is going well, but we will need until the end of the year to finish everything. Our discussion with them is that, at the end of July at the latest, the first two will be ready, and at the end of the year the last two. And that’s how we complete the entire third phase.” said Paul Moldovan for Adevărul.
Upon completion, Park Liniei is designed to become the longest linear park in Europe, being compared to similar projects in major European capitals, including Coulée Verte in Paris.
