Trolleybuses in Sofia
 A Škoda Solaris 26Tr trolleybus in Sofia, 2011. | |
| Operation | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Open | 14 February 1941 |
| Status | Open |
| Routes | 9 |
| Owner(s) | Metropolitan Municipality |
| Operator(s) | Sofia Public Electrical Transport Company JSC |
| Statistics | |
| Track length (total) | 257 km (160 mi) |
| Route length | 193 km (120 mi) |
| Website | Sofia Public Electrical Transport Company JSC (English) |
The Sofia trolleybus system (Bulgarian: Тролейбусен транспорт София) forms part of the public transport network of Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria.
In operation since 14 February 1941, the system presently comprises nine routes with 257 km network build, of which 193 km are currently in use.
As of 2010 the average speed of the trolleybus system in Sofia is 14,4 km/h.
History
Trolleybus transport was the last form of surface public transport to develop in Sofia, after buses and trams. The first Sofia trolleybus line opened on 14 February 1941. It was over 3 km (2 mi) long, and connected the city with the Gorna Banya quarter.[1]The line was covered by 2 MAN trolleybuses, which were stored on the last stops during the night, due to the lack of depot.
In the 1950s and 1960s, massive development of the trolleybus transport in Sofia began. At that time, the construction of new trolleybus routes proceeded especially rapidly, and two depots ("Stochna Gara" and "Nadezhda") were opened, with a total capacity of 160 trolleybuses. In 1951, the first Bulgarian made trolleybuses entered service.[1]
In 1987, a new depot, "Iskar", was opened with a capacity of 130 trolleybuses.[1] Levski depot was opened in 1994 with capacity of 60 trolleybuses. As of 2015 two depots are in operation: Nadezhda and Iskar. Levski depot operates as a maintenance only facility.
Lines
As of January 2016, the following trolleybus lines in Sofia are in service:
| Line | Route | Depot |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Levski-G Residential District — Fifth City Hospital | Nadezhda |
| 2 | Hadzhi Dimitar Residential District — Buxton Residential District | Iskar and Nadezhda |
| 4 | Druzhba 2 Residential District — Hadzhi Dimitar Residential District | Iskar |
| 5 | Mladost-1 Residential District — Nadezhda Overbridge | Iskar |
| 6 | Lyulin 3 Residential District — Lyulin 1 Residential District — Stochna gara Square | Nadezhda and Iskar |
| 7 | Lyulin 3 Residential District — Lyulin 7 Residential District — Odeon Cinema | Nadezhda |
| 8 | Regional Hospital — Gotse Delchev Residential District | Iskar |
| 9 | Borovo Residential District — Stochna gara Square | Nadezhda |
| 11 | Druzhba 1 Residential District — Stochna gara Square | Iskar |
Trolleybus fleet
As of February 2016, the Sofia trolleybus fleet had more than 150 trolleybuses.
The following models are currently part of the fleet:
| Quantity | In use | Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 units | 50 | Škoda 27Tr | Delivered 2013-2014 |
| 30 units | 30 | Škoda 26Tr | Delivered 2011 |
| 50 units | 19 | Ikarus 280.92 | Total of 151 units delivered between 1985 and 1988 |
| 16 units | 16 | Ikarus 280.92F | Modernized version |
| 8 units | 8 | Gräf & Stift GS 152 M18 | Delivered 2006 from Innsbruck |
| 3 units | 2 | Cobra GD 272 | Body by Güleryüz, electrical systems by Tramkar |
Depots
- Nadezhda - serving lines 1, 2, 6, 7 and 9;
- Iskar - serving lines 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 11.
- Levski - only for maintenance and overhauls of the vehicles.
See also
References
- 1 2 3 "History of Trolleybus Transport". Urban Mobility Centre website. Urban Mobility Centre, Sofia. Retrieved 10 August 2011. External link in
|work=(help) (English)
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trolleybuses in Sofia. |
- Images of the Sofia trolleybus system, at railfaneurope.net
- Trolleybus city: Sofia (Bulgarien) at Trolleymotion (English)
- Sofia database / photo gallery and Sofia trolleybus list at Urban Electric Transit – in various languages, including English.
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