Nine companies, out of ten candidates, filed offers in the EUR 185.2mn tender for building the second line of the Sofia underground transport, CEO of Sofia’s municipal firm Metropoliten, which runs the subway transport system in the capital city, Stoian Bratoev said for SeeNews. The nine bidders are the Spanish construction group Fomento De Construcciones Y Contratas (FCC), the Italian consortium Pizrotti-Seli, the Greek construction group J&P Avax, a consortium between the German construction group Hochtief and the local construction firm Glavbolgarstroy, the Italian consortium Condotte-Ansaldo, the Czech construction company Metrostav, the Spanish Obrascon Huarte Lain (OHL), the local Moststroy in consortium with the Turkish Dogus, and the local mining consulting and engineering company Geotechmin. The length of the line is estimated at 6.5km and will be serviced by 7 stations. The appointed commission has to assess the offers by Feb 15 and Bratoev expects that the contract may be signed in March. Construction works under that scenario are expected to start end of March and would continue up to 2011.