Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, who is running for a third term, has announced plans to extend the first metro line in two directions at once: 1.2 km towards Varketili and 1.1 km deep into Gldani. According to him, the new terminal stations will be able to receive up to 4,500 and 5,500 passengers during peak hours, significantly relieving the overloaded network.
The extension towards Varketili is especially relevant: about 66 thousand people travel daily in the direction of the new "Hualing" district near the Tbilisi Sea. Some of them will be able to transfer to the metro, which will reduce traffic jams and stimulate the development of adjacent areas. The mayor's office is confident that the project will force many to abandon private cars in favor of public transport.
Specific deadlines have not yet been announced, and the project remains at the planning stage. The "Tbilisi Transport Company" ordered an international cost study in the spring, which, according to preliminary estimates, will reach several hundred million dollars. Currently, the Tbilisi metro has 23 stations on two lines with a total length of 57 km, and the last new station opened back in 2017.