Sofia tram
Sofia tram | |
---|---|
Pesa Swing on line 7 | |
Basic information | |
Country | Bulgaria |
city | Sofia |
opening | January 14, 1901 |
operator | Stolitschen Elektrotransport AG (Столичен електротранспорт ЕАД) |
Infrastructure | |
Formerly the largest route |
209 km |
Track length | 153.4 km |
Gauge | 1009 mm, 1435 mm |
Power system | 600 V = overhead line |
Stops | 182 |
Depots | 3 |
business | |
Lines | 14th |
Cruising speed | 15.17 km / h |
vehicles | 297 |
Network plan (as of 2016), light blue narrow-gauge tracks, dark blue standard-gauge tracks, green three-rail tracks |
The Sofia tram has been operating in the Bulgarian capital since January 14, 1901 . The route network covers around 280 kilometers. A total of 40 kilometers of track are regular , 112 kilometers are narrow-gauge with the extraordinary gauge of 1009 millimeters. Most of the lines run on narrow lanes, only lines 20, 22 and 23 on the regular gauge.
The Sofia tram is the only tram operator in Bulgaria. There was a tender for a tram in Plovdiv in 1904. In order to make the operation in such a small town profitable, it was proposed to extend the line to the nearby town of Asenovgrad . The French company Compagnie générale de Construction et de Wagons Lits got a concession, but for various reasons the tram network was not built. There was no second attempt to build a tram in Plovdiv.
history
The beginnings up to the Second World War
The history of the Sofia tram began on December 1, 1898, when the city of Sofia granted a concession to a Belgian and a French company to build and operate a tram network. The construction work lasted about a year and on January 14, 1901, the official operation of the electric tram in Sofia began. The fleet consisted of 26 motor coaches and 14 trailer cars made by Franco-Belge and BBC, all of which had two axles and a wooden body. The network comprised six lines with a line length of 23 kilometers. The original track width was 1000 millimeters.
In the years 1903 to 1938 a large number of railcars and sidecars from various European manufacturers were procured - first in 1908 the first six four-axle »Zeppelin« railcars of Belgian origin. Three of these railcars were destroyed in Allied air raids on Sofia on January 10, 1944, the other three remained in service until 1976 - a total of 68 years. The next delivery of twelve railcars from Siemens took place in 1912, followed by twelve two-axle "Charles-le-Roi" trains and 15 sidecars from Belgium. After the First World War , a large part of the vehicle fleet failed one after the other due to lack of money and poor maintenance and in 1924 only 20 railcars were still in service. The city administration had the tram operation nationalized and ordered 30 two-axle railcars from Siemens. They remained in service until 1968. Since larger cars were also required, 15 two-axle cars from the manufacturer Franco-Belge were purchased, with the electrical equipment from the BBC . They were equipped with two drive motors with 25 kW each and Knorr air brakes. In the same year ten four-axle railcars came to Sofia from "Atelier Metallurgique de Nivelle", Belgium. After the buy-back of the tram company from the Belgian company was completed in 1927, it was found that the track condition was miserable. The wear was so great that the gauge no longer corresponded to the meter gauge. It was decided to simply adjust the track width of the wagons instead of costly renovation of the network. The wheelsets were re-tracked to 1009 mm. At the same time, a massive network expansion was tackled. All routes were expanded to double tracks, and reversing loops were created , and the shuttle service that had been common up until then was abandoned. In 1934 the track length was 67 km, 79 powered rail cars and 58 trailer cars were in operation, and eleven lines were served. In the same year 43,738,994 passengers were carried, which, given the population at the time, corresponded to 197 journeys per year for each resident.
In 1931, under the direction of Dipl.-Ing. Teodosij Kardalew started the production of sidecars from parts of decommissioned railcars. These sidecars were called Kardalev sidecars. In 1936, the first small series of Bulgarian railcars were built under the name DTO (Directorate for Tram and Light; Bulgar . Дирекция на трамваите и осветлението - founded in 1918). Chassis from decommissioned cars were used as the basis , all other components were new. The next delivery of western railcars took place in 1931 and 1935 with 15 and 12 two-axle railcars from MAN with electrical equipment from Siemens. The last car with the number 92 remained in regular service until 1976 and was reconstructed as a museum car in 1999. Today, nostalgia trips are carried out regularly with it. The last delivery of rolling stock before the Second World War took place in 1938 with the order for 20 tram cars, very modern for its time, from the Italian locomotive manufacturer "Ernesto Breda" from Milan. The cars had double-walled car bodies, two "Marelli" traction motors, each with 40 kW power, as well as hand and resistance brakes .
After 1944 until the introduction of the metro
The first large depot was built in 1934 in what is now the Krasno Selo district. A production facility for tram railcars was opened there in 1951, the successor to the DTO's technical workshop. In that year the first four-axle republic- type railcars were also delivered. It was the first tram car that was entirely made in Bulgaria. Up to 1959, two series with a total of 20 multiple units and 24 sidecars were produced there. From 1959 to 1962 the four-axle Komsomolets followed , the first with four engines. The engines had an output of 50 kW each and were therefore the first to be able to overcome gradients of up to 72/1000. 25 railcars and 16 sidecars were produced, but they had design problems with the brakes. After repeated accidents, in 1970 all sidecars were taken out of service and the railcars were used on less steep routes. In 1962 the first articulated railcar of the Kosmonaut type was presented. The two-part cars with the axle formula Bo'2'Bo 'were 22 meters long, had a service weight of 28 tons and four DC motors with an output of 50 kW each. A total of 63 units were produced. The quality of the construction left a lot to be desired, however, after an average of only 16 years the wagons had to be taken out of service. After analyzing the shortcomings of the first two types produced in Bulgaria, the production of a new series of trams called Sofia began . Five prototypes of the two-piece articulated car Sofia were produced in 1965, and the three-piece Sofia 70 followed in 1970 . The two-part railcars had a length of 20 meters, a service weight of 25 tons and the Bo'2'Bo 'wheel arrangement, while the three-piece railcars were 27.3 meters long and weighed 32 tons with the Bo'2'2'Bo' wheel arrangement. After the accidents with the previous types, special emphasis was placed on the brakes and the railcars were equipped with a resistance brake with seven stages, a compressed air brake and two hand brakes. Production ended after three series with a total of 173 Sofia multiple units and 208 Sofia 70 units in 1980. Between 1978 and 1981, a revised series of these vehicles was delivered, which was named Sofia 100 and Sofia 1300 . Technically, it did not differ from the predecessor types, only the car body was not round, but angular and about 3 tons lighter. The round Sofia multiple units were withdrawn from regular service by 2004 and were scrapped; the last run of a Sofia 100 series car took place in 2013. The last Bulgarian tram cars were the types T6M-700 with six and T8M-900 with eight axles, which were delivered between 1986 and 1990 and are still in use today. Since then, the factory has mainly repaired and modernized cars. Some articulated cars were equipped with a low-floor center section.
In 1987, the first regular-gauge tram line was opened in Sofia. It is used today by line 20. Before that, all routes were narrow-gauge with a gauge of 1009 millimeters. At first, domestic articulated cars based on the narrow-gauge Sofia-100 were built for the new standard gauge line, but only the car body was new, the engines came from abandoned Skoda trolleybuses . The construction showed glaring defects and after only 2 years of regular service the T6-1000 cars had to be parked again and later scrapped. Tatra T6B5 wagons were then procured for the standard gauge lines . Eight years later, the second regular-gauge line was completed (today's line 22). Part of this line is operated in mixed operation on three -rail tracks, narrow and regular gauge in mixed operation is the route in Boulevard Konstantin Velitschkov and Vaskresenije between Pirotska Street and the Krasna Poljana depot.
After 1998
Since the subway in Sofia went into operation, tram routes have been continuously shut down or relocated. In 2000, for example, the line to the Darvenitza district had to give way to the subway, as the subway was routed over a tram bridge, and in 2012 with the opening of line 2 of the subway, the tracks on Vitosha Boulevard were shut down and dismantled, and with the start of the construction of line 3, the tunnel under the National Palace of Culture .
The regular gauge line 23 ( Druzhba-2 residential complex - Druzhba-1 residential complex ), which was opened on February 17, 2010, represents the last new line to date. This line was extended in 2011 and has since served the Druzhba-2 residential complex - youth theater route . The new section had been completed at least since 2006. Also for the extension under the Zarigradsko Chaussee westwards to the Mladost district, earthworks were carried out or a track triangle was created. In the long term, an extension of the line to the Mladost 3 metro station is to be built.
On June 21, 2013, a contract was signed between the city of Sofia and the Polish manufacturer PESA for the procurement of low-floor vehicles. Sofia is buying 20 Pesa Swing narrow-gauge wagons for 33.5 million euros . These are the first trams with 100 percent low-floor in Sofia. The new cars have been delivered since the end of March 2014 and are mainly used on Line 7.
Depots
The vehicles are parked, maintained and used in the following depots and workshops:
- Klokotnitsa Depot (Клокотница) 42 ° 42 ′ 57.8 ″ N , 23 ° 18 ′ 27.1 ″ E - first depot. This was the oldest tram depot in Sofia. It was closed in 1999. Some of the work vehicles and special vehicles are currently located there.
- Depot Krasno Selo (Красно село) 42 ° 40 ′ 37.3 ″ N , 23 ° 16 ′ 47.3 ″ E - This depot was rededicated as Tramcar , which produces and modernizes tram cars and trolleybuses. Originally, Krasno Selo was the second depot.
- Depot Banischora (Банишора) 42 ° 42 '58.1 " N , 23 ° 18' 27.9" O - Third Betriebshof
- Depot Krasna Polyana (Красна Поляна) 42 ° 41 ′ 25.2 ″ N , 23 ° 16 ′ 50.4 ″ E - Second depot
- Iskar Depot (Искър) 42 ° 39 ′ 22.7 ″ N , 23 ° 24 ′ 42.2 ″ E - fourth depot. This depot was built in the 1980s for the new standard-gauge vehicles.
statistics
- The average speed of all trams in 2010 was 12.7 km / h. For comparison: the subway reached a travel speed of 38.8 km / h, the bus network 19.4 km / h. In 2014 an average speed of 15.17 km / h was determined.
- In 2015, the average age of the fleet was 16 years.
- There are 523 turnouts in the network, 231 of which are in the main tracks and 292 in the depots.
particularities
A characteristic feature of the railways in Sofia are the tram mailboxes placed on the outside next to the first door . All cars built for Sofia are equipped with it. Exceptions are the standard-gauge used vehicles taken over from abroad, the standard-gauge Tatra T6B5 wagons and the PESA multi-articulated wagons . The boxes are emptied at several central stops in the city center, from where the letters are brought to the main post office for further delivery. Most of the cars that were taken over from abroad were not repainted, so the cars still have the original appearance of Leipzig and Halle. The T6 run in a yellow and white paint scheme with a red belly band, reminiscent of the vehicles in Budapest.
Lines and vehicles
Lines (as of February 12, 2018)
line | Line route | Hold | Travel time | responsible depot | vehicles used |
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1 | Nadezhda flyover ( Надлез Надежда ) - Central Station - Christo Botew Boulevard - Pette Kjoscheta (Praga Boulevard) - National Palace of Culture - Vitosha Boulevard - Ivan Vazov residential complex ( ж.к. Иван Вазов ) | 13 | 29 min | Krasna Polyana | Pesa Swing 122NaSF |
3 | Neighborhood Orlandowzi ( кв Орландовци. ) - Central Cemetery - Kozloduy Street - Central Station - Hristo Botev Boulevard - Wasraschdane Square - Alexandar Stambolijski Boulevard - Konstantin Welitschkow Boulevard - Station sugar factory ( Гара Захарна фабрика ) | 20th | 43 min | Krasna Polyana | Tatra T6A2 |
4th | Nikola Petkow Boulevard ( Бул. Никола Петков ) - Ovcha kupel district - Krasno Selo residential complex - Hippodrome / Lagera residential complex - Pirogov Hospital - Russian Memorial - Makedonia Square - Alabin Street - Svetka Nedelya Square - Central Market Hall Maria Luisa Boulevard - Löwenbrücke - Kozloduy street - Central cemetery - district Orlandowzi ( кв Орландовци. ) | 22nd | 47 min | Banischora | T6M-700 |
5 | Knjaschewo district ( кв.Княжево ) - Tsar Boris III Boulevard - Buxton apartment complex - Krasno Selo apartment complex - Hippodrome apartment complex / Lagera apartment complex - Russian memorial - Makedonia Square - Palace of Justice ( Съдебна палата ) | 17th | 31 min | Krasna Polyana | T8M-700IT Inekon |
6th | Residential Complex Obelja-2 ( ж.к. Обеля-2 ) - Residential Complex Vrabnitsa-1 - Residential Complex Nadezhda - Residential Complex Svoboda - Triagalnika District - Nadezhda Underpass - Central Station - Christo Botev Boulevard - Macedonia Square - Pette Kjoscheta - National Palace of Culture - Vitosha -Boulevard - residential complex Ivan Wasov ( (ж.к. Иван Вазов) ) | 27 | 55 min | Banischora | T6M-700, T8M-900M |
7th | Khan Kubrat Metro Station ( Метростанция Хан Кубрат ) - Central Station - Christo Botev Boulevard - Pette Kjoscheta (Praga Boulevard) - National Palace of Culture - Vitosha Boulevard - Balgaria Boulevard - Borowo Residential Complex ( ж.к. Борово ) | 16 | 37 min | Krasna Polyana | Pesa Swing 122NaSF |
8th | Residential Complex Lyulin -5 ( ж.к. Люлин-5 ) - Pancho-Vladigerov Boulevard - Pasar Lyulin Cooperative - Lyulin Metro Station - Tsarin Joanna Boulevard - Vardar Metro Station - West Park Residential Complex - Alexandar Stamboliysky Boulevard - Wasrashdane Square - Makedonia Square - Palace of Justice ( Съдебна палата ) | 20th | 41 min | Banischora | Be 4/6 p |
10 | Westpark Residential Complex ( ж.к. Западен парк ) - Alexandar Stamboliysky Boulevard - Makedonia Square - Alabin Street - Justice Palace - Slavykov Square - Graf Ignatiev Street - Vasil Levski Stadium Metro Station - Seminary - Chladilnika District ( кв. Хладилника ) | 23 | 47 min | Krasna Polyana | Tatra T6A2, Tatra T6A2-SF-99 |
11 | Ilijanzi District ( кв. Илиянци ) - Ilijanzi Market - Roschen Boulevard - Triagalnika District - Banishora Depot - Gabrovo Boulevard - Constantine Velichkov Boulevard - Vaskresenie Boulevard - Krasna Polyana Depot - Ovcha Kupel III Bus Station - Tsar - Nikola Petkov blvd (Gornobanski pathway) ( бул Никола Петков. ) - Neighborhood Knjaschewo ( кв Княжево. ) | 32 | 60 min | Banischora | Т8М-900М, T8K-503, Tatra T6A2 |
12 | Ilijanzi District ( кв. Илиянци ) - Ilijanzi Market - Roschen Boulevard - Triagalnika District - Nadezhda flyover - Central Station - Princess Marie Louise Boulevard - Central Market Hall - Sveta Nedelya Square - Slavykov Square - Vasilevsky Metro Station Stadium - Journalist Square ( пл. Журналист ) | 21st | 46 min | Banischora | Be 4/6 p |
18th | Neighborhood Orlandowzi ( кв Орландовци. ) - Kozloduy Street - Löwenbrücke - Princess Maria Luisa Boulevard - Central Market - Sveta Nedelya Square - Slaveikov Square - Graf Ignatiev Street - Metro Station Vasil Levski Stadium - Journalist -Platz ( пл. Журналист ) | 14th | 31 min | Banischora | Pesa Swing 122NaSF |
20th | Iskar Depot ( Депо Искър ) - Iskar Train Station - Iskarsko Avenue - Druzhba-1 Residential Complex - Asen Jordanov Boulevard - Geo Milev Bus Station - Schipchensky Prokhod Boulevard - Geo Milev Residential Complex - Sitnyakovo Boulevard - Podujane Train Station - Madrid Boulevard - Sofia Theater - Fürst-Alexander-Dondukow-Boulevard - Youth Theater - Batscho- Kiro-Straße (only in the direction of the Opaltschenska underground station) / Weslez-Straße (only in the direction of the Iskar depot) - Central Market Hall - Schensky Market - Pirotska Street - underground station Opaltschenska ( Метростанция Опълченска ) | 29 | 48 min | Iskar | Tatra T6B5 |
22nd | East Bus Station ( Автостанция Изток ) - Botevgradsko Chaussee - Podujane Train Station - Madrid Boulevard - Sofia Theater - Prince Alexander Dondukov Boulevard - Youth Theater - Batscho-Kiro-Straße (only towards Depot Krasna Polyana) / Weslez-Straße (only in Direction of the East Bus Station) - Central Market Hall - Shensky Market - Pirotska Street - Konstantin Velichkov Metro Station - Konstantin Velichkov Boulevard - Krasna Polyana Depot ( Депо Красна поляна ) | 28 | 49 min | Iskar | Tatra T4D-M / B4D-M, Tatra T6A5 |
23 | Obikolna Street (Druzhba-2 Residential Complex) ( ул. Обиколна) - Copenhagen Boulevard - Iskar Industrial Area - Iskar Station - Druzhba-1 Residential Complex - Asen Jordanov Boulevard - Geo Milev Bus Station - Schipchensky Prokhod Boulevard - Sitnyakovo Boulevard - Podujane Train Station - Madrid Boulevard - Sofia Theater - Yanko Sakasov Boulevard - Prince Alexander Dondukov Boulevard - Youth Theater ( Младежки театър ) | 27 | 46 min | Iskar | Duewag GT8Z |
Current vehicle inventory
List of cars currently in use in Sofia:
image | Type | Years of construction | number | Remarks | Numbers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Pesa Swing 122NaSF | 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2020 | 38 | Low floor, 25 more ordered | 2301-2338 |
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Be 4/6 p | 1990 | 28 | Middle section low-floor, taken over from Basel in 2017 | 659-686 |
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Tatra T4D-C | 1981-1986 | 20 railcars | Taken over from Halle 2011, parked | 1132-1136, 1139, 1141, 1143, 1146, 1152, 1166, 1171, 1181, 1182, 1187, 1199, 1215, 1175, 1178, 1213 |
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Tatra B4D-C | 1981-1986 | 20 sidecars | Taken over from Halle 2011, parked | 176, 182, 183, 190-193, 196, 198, 200, 202, 210, 211, 214, 217-221, 223 |
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Tatra T6A2 | 1990 and 1999 | 57 | Version T6A2B for Sofia | 3001–3025 (T6A2), 2026–2040 (T6A2), 2041–2057 (T6A2-SF) |
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Т8М-700IT Inekon | 2008-2009 | 18th | Middle part low floor | 2401-2418 |
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Т8М-900М | 1999 | 8th | Middle part low floor, from 2010 modernization | 909, 916, 928, 929, 932-934, 936, 939 |
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T8K-503 | from 2009 on | 9 | Bi-directional car with two driver's cabs, based on the retired T8M-900 | 503-511 |
|
T6M-700 (M) | 1986-1988 | 22nd | Articulated railcar, modernization from 2009 | 701, 702, 707, 708, 711, 713-716, 718, 722, 802, 805-807, 810, 811, 813, 815, 817, 830, 831 |
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Tatra T6B5 | 1988 | 37 | Control track | 4101-4137 |
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Tatra T6A5 | 1995 | 40 | Standard track, used in 2016, 2017 and 2019 taken from Prague , 15 more ordered | 4140-4179 |
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Tatra T4D-M | 1981 | 15 railcars | Standard gauge, taken over from Leipzig in 2010 , LVB type 33d | 4030, 4034, 4035, 4039, 4042, 4044, 4045, 4049, 4059, 4063, 4065, 4067, 4075, 4077, 4080 |
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Tatra B4D-M | 1981 | 15 sidecars | Standard gauge, taken over from Leipzig 2010, LVB type 65c | 4729, 4751, 4755, 4756, 4759, 4760, 4762-4765, 4767-4769, 4771, 4772 |
|
Duewag T4 + B4 | 1960 | 3 | Standard track, taken over from Bonn in 1995 , turned off | 4208, 4210, 4211 with sidecar 4281, 4282, 4289 |
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Duewag GT6 | 1965 | 2 | Standard track, taken over from Bonn in 1995 , turned off | 4234 and 4237 |
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Duewag GT8Z | 1960/1965 | 6th | Standard track, bidirectional vehicles, taken over from Bonn in 1995 | 4401, 4405, 4410, 4411, 4413, 4415 |
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T6MD-1000 | 1987 | 1 | Control lane, turned off | 4027 |
Special vehicles
Numbers | Type | number | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
80, 81, 82 | Power generator | 3 | |
84, 85, 416 | Snow removal vehicle | 3 | Car No. 416 standard gauge |
88 | Shunting vehicle | 1 | |
89 | Freight tram cars | 1 | Open platform for the transport of loads between the depots, converted from Т6М-400 Sofia 100 |
435 | Driving school car | 1 |
Retired vehicles
List of historical vehicles
Pictures and videos
Tram mailbox in Sofia
Trams on the Lion Bridge in Sofia
Trams in front of the Sveta Nedelya Cathedral in Sofia
Trams run in front of the Palace of Justice in Sofia
Trams of the type Т8М-700IT Inekon in the turning loop at the Palace of Justice in Sofia
Web links
- Official website of the Sofijskija Zentar sa Gradska Mobilnost (City Transport Center) (English)
- tram.swetlin.net: History of the Sofia tram (German)
- including many pictures
- Article "History of the Sofia Tram" by Georgi Alexandrov ( Memento from May 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) ( Bulgarian )
- The first trams in Sofia from the Old Sofia blog (Bulgarian)
- Sofia's tram at public-transport.net
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Mott Macdonald: General plan for the development of public transport in Sofia. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on March 14, 2013 ; Retrieved February 3, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Sofijskija Zentar sa gradska mobilinost: Subway map. Retrieved September 4, 2012 (Bulgarian).
- ↑ Sofijskija Zentar sa gradska mobilinost: online schedule tables. Retrieved September 3, 2012 (Bulgarian).
- ↑ a b c d e Sofijskija Zentar sa gradska mobilinost: History of the Sofia tram. Retrieved September 3, 2012 .
- ↑ City of Sofia brochure from 1934. Retrieved on October 20, 2013 (Bulgarian).
- ^ Georgi Alexandrow: History of the Sofia tram. Archived from the original on May 25, 2009 ; Retrieved January 17, 2009 (Bulgarian).
- ^ Emil Stresow: Brief history of the Sofia tram. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015 ; Retrieved October 20, 2013 (Bulgarian).
- ↑ Spisanie Otetschestwo: Finally, a standard gauge tramway. November 26, 1988. Retrieved June 30, 2016 .
- ↑ Nina Byalkova: Sofia city signs 33.5 mln euro tram deal with Poland's PESA Bydgoszcz. SeeNews, June 21, 2013, accessed June 27, 2013 .
- ^ Statement by the consulting firm Mott MacDonald, which is developing the traffic master plan for Sofia - Bulgarian news agency БТА: bus in Sofia 19.4 km / h, subway - twice as fast. (No longer available online.) November 26, 2010, archived from the original on December 29, 2010 ; Retrieved August 30, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Alexander Vitanov: Project to optimize public transport in Sofia. (No longer available online.) November 10, 2014, archived from the original on November 12, 2014 ; Retrieved December 7, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Sega: www.segabg.com. March 4, 2015, accessed March 4, 2015 .
- ^ Electric transport EAD: History of the tram. November 26, 2010, accessed June 30, 2013 .
- ↑ Vehicle inventory list
- ^ Emil Stresow: Brief history of the Sofia tram. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015 ; Retrieved October 20, 2013 (Bulgarian).