Bulgarian capital city Sofia is to buy eight new metro trains from Škoda Group for over 65 million euros.
Škoda will produce the four-car, eighty-metre trains for the carrier Metropoliten EAD at its production sites in Ostrava and Pilsen in the Czech republic. The new trains will enter service in 2026 and will run on lines 1, 2 and 4.
Since 2010, Škoda Group has delivered 210 trolleybuses to five Bulgarian cities.
The train is similar to that already delivered to Warsaw, the capital of Poland, However, Sofia's trains will additionally benefit from air conditioning, which is important given the region's warm climate.
Two wheelchair compartments are provided to improve accessibility and comfortable transport for all persons.
The metro trains will be equipped with a safety system with automatic speed control. They will be powered by traction three-phase asynchronous motors, with recuperation – during braking, they return electricity to the power grid. The Sofia metro runs on a 1435 mm standard gauge and is powered via a contact (third) rail. The power supply is DC, and the nominal voltage 750 ± 250 V. The design speed of the new trains is 90 km/h.
Zdeněk Sváta, President Region Central East at Škoda Group, said, “We are very proud to deliver new, modern, and spacious metro trains to the people of Sofia. After Warsaw in Poland, the Bulgarian capital is the next destination for our metro. We have extensive experience with the metro, having previously modernised the Prague metro and supplied complete traction equipment for the subways in Kiev, Budapest and also in South Korea.
“This success highlights our expertise in public transport. We offer a complete portfolio of environmentally friendly vehicles for public transport. I am confident that, based on this cooperation, we will establish a strong relationship with Metropoliten EAD that will support the future development of Sofia's public transport system. I strongly believe that the Sofia metro trains will exceed expectations and further strengthen our reputation as a reliable partner in urban mobility solutions”.
“Stoyan Braotev, Executive Director of Metropoliten EAD, said, “The opening of the new metro station, located between Slivnica and Obelia stations, will shorten the running interval of trains on the second metro line, which is necessary due to the increased passenger flow during peak hours. This, together with the necessary partial reduction of peak intervals on lines 1 and 4, will be made possible by the 8 new trains. To ensure the future efficient operation of lines 1, 2 and 4, it is expected that the start of operation of the new station will take place simultaneously with the delivery of the aforementioned Škoda trains.”
Never knew that Skoda were into manufacturing metro trains as well as cars, vans and 4x4s. Maybe Skoda could win the contract to build new trains in the UK and to manufacture new London Underground tube stocks to replace the 1973 Bakerloo Line and the Central Line and W&C Line 1992 Stocks. With Siemens to manufacture new tube stock for the Piccadilly Line to replace the 1972 Stock.