Local authorities in the Western Romanian city of Timisoara aim to build the second metro network in the country. With capital Bucharest currently hosting the only metro network in Romania, Timisoara, a city of around 320,000 people, wants to have its own underground system too.

The city's mayor Nicolae Roibu plans to build an 8-kilometer metro line to connect the airport to downtown areas. The project would be included in the 2014-2020 budget, but financing sources are yet uncertain, according to local media.

Bucharest currently has four metro lines, and some 69 kilometers of metro tracks, with 51 stations. New metro lines are currently in different construction stages in the Romanian capital.

China has the biggest number of metro lines across a country in the world, with 19 lines in various regional cities, including in capital Beijing. China has a another 12 metro systems under construction. Japan comes close, with 15 metro networks, four of which in Tokyo, and two in Kobe.

In Europe, France has six lines, in capital Paris and five other cities, and Germany has metro networks in five cities. Seven Italian cities also enjoy metro networks, while Spain also has six metro networks a and UK, four, out of which two in London. Most European countries however have one or two metro networks. There are 14 metro networks in the US.

editor@romania-insider.com