After the announced expansion of the bus network with over 40 km of new routes and the launched market consultations for the delivery and servicing of 130 new trams, Sofia Municipality proposes the next step in improving the urban transport. A report to the Sofia Municipal Council envisages 24 changes in the surface urban transport network – new trolleybus lines, new bus connections, extension and optimization of existing routes, as well as a gradual shift to more environmentally friendly electric transport, the press center of the Sofia Metropolitan Municipality reports.
The changes will be introduced in stages with the delivery of the new rolling stock. “Stolich Elektrotransport“ EAD has already carried out procedures and concluded contracts for a total of 125 new electric vehicles - 75 trolleybuses and 50 electric buses, as well as for the necessary charging infrastructure. The investment is expected to be financed under the “Environment“ Program, as it is directly aimed at expanding environmentally friendly electric transport and reducing harmful emissions in the city. This is one of the largest investments in Sofia's electric transport in recent years and is part of the broader program of the Sofia Municipality for the renewal of the rolling stock of public transport, within the framework of which market consultations for the supply of up to 130 new trams have already been announced.
The report builds on the already adopted program for the renewal of the rolling stock and development of the ground transport infrastructure for the period 2024-2030.
Its main goal is to improve the connectivity of public transport, so that Sofia residents can rely on more direct connections, fewer transfers, better use of the existing trolleybus network and cleaner transport.
What is changing
Among the most important proposals is the extension of trolleybus line No. 3 in the direction of the “Vrazhdebna“ district and the “Mladost 4“. This creates a direct connection between the northern parts of the city, the center, “Tsarigradsko Shose“ Blvd., the Sofia Business Park area and “Mladost 4“. According to Deputy Mayor Viktor Chaushev, who is the submitter of the report, this will improve access for both the residents of “Vrazhdebna“ and the people of “Mladost“ to important transport corridors, business zones and interchanges.
A new trolleybus line No. 15 is also planned between the “Nadezhda“ and the “Mladost 2“ residential areas, which will provide a new direct connection between the northern and eastern regions of Sofia - a direction for which there is currently no convenient alternative without at least two interchanges. The route will also serve the areas around Istoriya Slavyanovulgarska Blvd., Stochna Gara Sq., Vasil Levski Blvd., Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd. and Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd.
A significant change is the new trolleybus line No. 12 from the Lyulin 1, 2 residential area to Gotse Delchev residential area. Thus, for the first time, direct connectivity is offered between Lyulin and the southern neighborhoods, including Gotse Delchev and the areas around Todor Kableshkov Blvd. Such an innovation will reduce the need for transfers and shorten the travel time between two of the most densely populated areas of Sofia.
Among the most useful innovations is the change of trolleybus line No. 8, which will connect the residential area “Gotse Delchev“ with the “Orlandovtsi“ district. This creates a new tangential connection between the northern and southern parts of the city via “Vasil Levski“ Blvd., “Cherni Vrah“ Blvd. and key sections in the central city. The argument in the report is that in this way “Orlandovtsi“ gets direct access to the center and southern regions without transferring, and public transport becomes more competitive with the car.
Better service for the northern, western and eastern regions
The reorganization also significantly affects the connections between the northern and western neighborhoods. Trolleybus line No. 11 is extended to the “Nadezhda” overpass, as the proposal builds on the already established temporary route along “Opalchenska” Str., to which passengers have adapted and which showed a real need for such a connection. The reasons state that this provides a better direct connection between the “Banishora” area, the northwestern parts of the city, the center, Sofia University and “Tsarigradsko Shose” Blvd.
Trolleybus line No. 7 will be rerouted between the residential area “Lyulin 3“ and ul. “Gen. Gurko“, while maintaining the connection of the western areas with bul. “Vasil Levski“, sq. “Stochna Gara“ and the Sofia University area. At the same time, the connection to the southern neighborhoods will be taken over by new and extended lines, so that there is no deterioration in service.
Trolleybus line No. 6 will cover the direction from the residential area “Lyulin 3“ through ul. “Opalchenska“ to the residential area “Lozenets“. This preserves the direct connection between the northwestern parts of the city, the National Palace of Culture, bul. “Cherni Vrah“ and “Lozenets“, while at the same time optimizing traffic in the center and avoiding overcrowding of the same corridors with too many lines.
New bus lines along the ring directions
The report also proposes a new bus line No. 71 from the “Pavlovo“ district to the “Geo Milev“ bus station, which will pass along “Todor Kableshkov“ Blvd., “Filip Kutev“ Blvd. and “G. M. Dimitrov“ Blvd. The idea is to upgrade the model of fast radial and ring lines, to use the existing bus lanes and to create a faster corridor between the western and eastern parts of the city.
A new bus line No. 75 is also planned between the “Pavlovo“ district and the “Geo Milev“ bus station. “Gotse Delchev“ and the “Levski G“ residential area, which will cover the southern, eastern and northeastern parts of Sofia through “Todor Kableshkov“ Blvd., “Filip Kutev“ Blvd., “G. M. Dimitrov“, “Slatina“ and “Levski“.
Together with lines №71 and №73, the new line will build a stronger ring corridor with a higher frequency of service in the busiest areas, where it is needed, instead of a very long line with a high risk of delays.
More electric transport and better use of the existing infrastructure
It is proposed that bus lines №74 and №310 be replaced, respectively, by trolleybus lines №10 and №14.
The new trolleybus line №10, which essentially replaces bus line №310, will run between the residential area “Lyulin 5“ and the residential area “Hadzhi Dimitar“. The line will pass along “Slivnitsa“ Blvd., “Stochna Gara“ Sq. and will connect the western neighborhoods, the central part of the city and the northeastern zones. The decision is not related to large investment costs, since a large part of the route is already on an established trolleybus network.
The new trolleybus line No. 14 between the Gotse Delchev residential area and the Central Station retains the existing bus route, and will fully use the existing trolleybus network along the route.
According to the proposal, several bus lines will switch to being serviced by “Stolich Elektrotransport“ EAD with electric buses. Among them are line No. 9, which will be renumbered to No. 209, line No. 11, which will become No. 211, line No. 77, as well as line No. 604, which will become No. 206. The lines have been selected on the basis of making more efficient use of the available and planned charging infrastructure and reducing harmful emissions.
This will achieve a sustainable change in the model, so that where possible, bus routes switch to electric vehicles, and where there is already a trolleybus network, it is used much more fully. This will contribute to reducing harmful emissions and improving air quality in the city, gradually increasing the share of environmentally friendly electric transport in Sofia.
What will be the effect
It is expected that with the phased introduction of the new rolling stock after its delivery, the transport task will increase by approximately 4.6 million kilometers per year, which is about 7% growth compared to the current economic framework for 2025. As a result of the changes to the lines, an additional 61 new vehicles will be included, and the other 64 will be used to phasedly replace outdated rolling stock.
In practice, this means better connectivity between neighborhoods, more direct connections without transfers, faster access to the metro and the main boulevards, more environmentally friendly transport and more reliable schedules. Particularly important is the fact that a large part of the proposals create entirely new routes between areas that currently do not have a convenient direct connection.
The new rolling stock will be introduced in stages
According to the signed contracts, the new electric buses will be delivered within 9 months, and the trolleybuses - within 12 to 15 months from the provision of financing, depending on the contract.
The investment is expected to be financed under the “Environment“ Program, as the project is part of the Sofia Municipality's efforts to expand ecological electric transport and reduce harmful emissions in the city. This will allow the new routes and the new rolling stock to be introduced in stages and financially sustainable.
As early as April, new neighborhoods will become part of the public transport network
Some of the changes in the transport network will begin to be introduced in April, according to the already announced decisions of the Sofia Municipality. At the beginning of April, new bus lines No. 180 (metro station „Business Park“ – upper town „Kosanin Dol“) and No. 182 (metro station „Business Park“ – village of German – residential area „Lozen Park“) will be opened. Thus, the villa zone „Kosanin Dol“ and the residential area „Lozen Park“ will be included in the regular bus network for the first time and will receive a direct connection with the First Metrodiameter.
With these changes, the city transport network is expanding with over 40 kilometers of new bus routes, and for the first time, areas such as upper town „Kosanin Dol“ will be served and the Lozen Park residential area, which will receive a direct connection to the metro and key parts of the city.