Trolleybuses in Sofia
The Sofia trolleybus system 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 long, and connected the city with the Gorna Banya quarter. 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 were opened, with a total capacity of 160 trolleybuses. In 1951, the first Bulgarian made trolleybuses entered service.
In 1987, a new depot, "Iskar", was opened with a capacity of 130 trolleybuses. 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 April 2020, 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 |
| 4 | Druzhba 2 Residential District – Hadzhi Dimitar Residential District | Iskar |
| 5 | Mladost 2 Residential District – Nadezhda Overpass | Iskar |
| 6 | Lyulin 3 Residential District – Stochna gara Square | Nadezhda |
| 7 | Lyulin 3 Residential District – Gotse Delchev Residential District | Nadezhda |
| 8 | "St. Anna" 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
Current fleet
As of May 2020, the Sofia trolleybus fleet consisted of 129 trolleybuses.The following models are currently part of the fleet:
| Quantity | In service | Model | Year built | Notes |
| 50 | 50 | Škoda 27Tr Solaris III | 2013-2014 | |
| 30 | 30 | Škoda 26Tr Solaris III | 2010 | |
| 22 | 21 | Ikarus 280.92 | 1985-1988 | Total of 151 units delivered |
| 16 | 16 | Ikarus 280.92F | 1985-1988 | Facelift, modernized 2008-2015 |
| 8 | 0 | Gräf & Stift GЕ 152 M18 | 1988 | Delivered 2006 from Innsbruck |
| 3 | 0 | Cobra GD 272 | 2003-2005 | Body by Güleryüz, Romanian electrical equipment, assembled by Tramkar |
The following vehicles are currently on order:
| Quantity | Model | Delivery |
| 30 | Škoda 27Tr Solaris IV | Apr-Oct 2021 |
The heritage fleet consists of the following vehicles:
| Model | Year built | Status | Notes |
| Škoda 9TrHT28 | 1981 | Non-operational | Ex Plovdiv. In private ownership. |
| Škoda 14Tr06 | 1985 | Non-operational | Ex Stara Zagora, née Sofia |
| DAC-Chavdar 317 Etr | 1986 | Non-operational | Ex Pernik. In private ownership. |
| ZiU-682 | 1987 | Operational | Ex Stara Zagora |
Past fleet
Depots
- Nadezhda - located on podpolkovnik Kalitin street, operates lines 1, 6, 7 and 9;
- Iskar - located on Amsterdam street, operates lines 2, 4, 5, 8 and 11;
- Levski - located on Bessarabia street, serves as maintenance and overhaul facility and for storage and dismantling of decommissioned vehicles