Trolleybuses in Sofia
| Sofia trolleybus system | |||||||||||||
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 Škoda 27Tr Solaris trolleybus in Sofia | |||||||||||||
| Operation | |||||||||||||
| Locale | Sofia, Bulgaria | ||||||||||||
| Infrastructure | |||||||||||||
| Electrification | 600 V DC | ||||||||||||
| Depot(s) | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Stock | 141 | ||||||||||||
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The Sofia trolleybus system (Bulgarian: Тролейбусен транспорт София) forms part of the public transport network of Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria. Trolleybuses first began serving Sofia on 8 February 1941, on a route to the suburb of Gorna Banya, but that initial system closed on 9 September 1944.[1][2] The current system opened only four years later, on 1 May 1948.[2]
The system presently comprises ten routes with 257 km (160 mi) network build, of which 193 km (120 mi) are currently in use.
As of 2020, the average speed of the trolleybus system in Sofia is 15.7 km/h.[3]
History
[edit]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 8 February 1941, in what was then the Kingdom of Bulgaria. It was more than 3 km (2 mi) long, and connected the city with the Gorna Banya quarter.[4] The line was covered by 2 MAN trolleybuses, which were stored on the last stops during the night, due to the lack of depot. It closed on 9 September 1944.[2]
The city's second trolleybus system, the first part of the current system, opened on 1 May 1948,[2] by which time the country had become the People's Republic of Bulgaria. 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.[4]
In 1987, a new depot, "Iskar", was opened with a capacity of 130 trolleybuses.[4] Levski depot was opened in 1994 with capacity of 60 trolleybuses. As of 2021 three depots are in operation: Nadezhda, Iskar and Levski. The latter also serves as a storage and overhaul facility.
Lines
[edit]As of October 2025, the following trolleybus lines in Sofia are in service:
| Line | Route | Depot |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Levski G Residential District – Fifth City Hospital | Levski |
| 2 | Hadzhi Dimitar Residential District – Buxton Residential District | Iskar |
| 3 | Levski G Residential District – St. Anna Hospital | Iskar |
| 4 | Druzhba 2 Residential District – Hadzhi Dimitar Residential District | Iskar |
| 5 | St. Anna Hospital – Nadezhda Overpass | Iskar |
| 6 | Lyulin 3 Residential District – Lozenets District | Nadezhda |
| 7 | Lyulin 3 Residential District – Gotse Delchev Residential District | Nadezhda |
| 8 | Stochna gara Square – Gotse Delchev Residential District | Iskar |
| 9 | Borovo Residential District – Stochna gara Square | Nadezhda |
| 11 | Druzhba 1 Residential District – Stochna gara Square | Iskar |
Fleet
[edit]Current fleet
[edit]As of November 2025, the Sofia trolleybus fleet consisted of 139 trolleybuses, of which around 114 are operational.
The following models are currently part of the fleet:
| Quantity | In service | Model | Year built | Fleet numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | Škoda 27Tr Solaris III | 2013–2014 | 1650–1674, 2675–2699 | Equipped with auxiliary diesel engine |
| 30 | 30 | Škoda 27Tr Solaris IV | 2020–2021 | 2801–2830 | Equipped with 30 kWh LTO battery |
| 30 | 30 | Škoda 26Tr Solaris III | 2010 | 1603–1632 | Equipped with auxiliary diesel engine |
| 15 | 4 | Ikarus 280.92 | 1985–1988 | 2054, 2115, 2117, 2123, 2614, 2623, 2702, 2703, 2711, 2712, 2715, 2723, 2913, 2915, 2922 | Ganz electrical equipment. Total of 151 units delivered. Operational units shown in bold. |
| 10 | 0 | Ikarus 280.92F | 2104–2109, 2608–2609, 2902–2903 | Facelift, modernized 2008–2015 | |
| 3 | 0 | Cobra GD 272 | 2003–2005 | 2002–2004 | Güleryüz bodywork, ICPE SAERP (Romania) electrical equipment, assembled by Tramkar |
| 1 | 0 | Gräf & Stift GЕ 152 M18 | 1988 | 1801 (ex-1806) | The last remaining unit of eight vehicles acquired secondhand from Innsbruck in 2006,[5] which were numbered 1801–1808 in Sofia (and had been nos. 807, 801, 815, 814, 805, 816, 802, and 810 in Innsbruck).[6] |
The heritage fleet consists of the following vehicles:
| Model | Year built | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Škoda 9TrHT28 | 1981 | Unrestored | Ex-Plovdiv. In private ownership. |
| Škoda 14Tr06 | 1985 | Unrestored | Ex-Stara Zagora, née Sofia |
| DAC-Chavdar 317 Etr | 1986 | Unrestored | Ex-Pernik. In private ownership. |
| ZiU-682 | 1987 | Restored, not operational | Ex-Stara Zagora |
Past fleet
[edit]
| Quantity | Model | Years in service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | MAN MPE I | 1941–1956 | Schumann body, BBC electrical equipment |
| 26 | MTB-82 | 1948–1960s | |
| 67 | TB-51 | 1951–1971 | Bulgarian-made version of the Soviet MTB-82 |
| 244 | Skoda 9Tr | 1964–1990 | |
| 12 | MAN/Kässbohrer/Kiepe 610 FEC 1 | 1967–1974 | ex-Dortmund, built in 1958 |
| 3 | Ikarus 280T | 1980–1984 | Rebuilt from diesel buses with Skoda 9Tr electrical equipment |
| 19 | Gräf & Stift GEO I, GEO II, GE 120 | 1984–1987 | Nos. 201–219, ex-Linz (where they were numbered in the range 51–77),[7] which were built between 1960 and 1968[8] |
| 20 | Skoda 14Tr06 | 1985–1987 | Transferred to other Bulgarian towns |
| 70 | ZiU-682 | 1986–2004 | |
| 23 | DAC-Chavdar 317 Etr | 1987–1994 | |
| 1 | Tramkar-Chavdar 130 | 1994–2010 | Prototype |
| 8 | Gräf & Stift GE152 M18 | 2006–2018 | ex-Innsbruck, built in 1988[5] |
Depots
[edit]- Nadezhda - opened in 1962, located on podpolkovnik Kalitin street, operates lines 6, 7 and 9; houses trolleybuses with fleet numbers 2xxx
- Iskar - opened in 1987, located on Amsterdam street, operates lines 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 11; houses trolleybuses with fleet numbers 1xxx
- Levski - opened in 1994, located on Bessarabia street, serves as maintenance and overhaul facility and for storage and dismantling of decommissioned vehicles. Since November 2021 also operates line 1. Fleet numbering common with Nadezhda depot.
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ Phipps, Andrew; Schwandl, Robert (2023). Tram Atlas Southeastern Europe. Berlin: Robert Schwandl Verlag. p. 126. ISBN 978-3-936573-69-5.
- ^ a b c d Murray, Alan (2000). World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia. Yateley, Hampshire, UK: Trolleybooks. p. 63. ISBN 0-904235-18-1.
- ^ Sofiaplan (2020). "Sofiaplan Transport Infographic" (PDF). Retrieved 22 March 2021. (in Bulgarian)
- ^ a b c "History of Trolleybus Transport". Urban Mobility Centre, Sofia. Retrieved 10 August 2011. (in English)
- ^ a b Trolleybus Magazine No. 273 (May–June 2007), p. 62. National Trolleybus Association (UK). ISSN 0266-7452.
- ^ Trolleybus Magazine No. 277 (January–February 2008), p. 15. National Trolleybus Association (UK).
- ^ Trolleybus Magazine No. 140 (March–April 1985), p. 40. National Trolleybus Association (UK). ISSN 0266-7452.
- ^ Mackinger, Gunter (1979). "Linzer Elektrizitäts- und Straßenbahn AG (ESG)". In Slezak, Otto (ed.). Obus in Österreich. Vienna, Austria: Verlag Slezak. p. 40. ISBN 3-900134-62-6.
External links
[edit]
- Official website of Sofia Public Electrical Transport Company JSC (in English)
- Images of the Sofia trolleybus system, at railfaneurope.net
- "Trolleybus city: Sofia (Bulgarien)". Trolleymotion.
- Sofia database / photo gallery and Sofia trolleybus list at Urban Electric Transit – in various languages, including English.
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