Today we are presenting a report concerning 24 route changes in the transport network of Sofia. This includes new trolleybus and electric bus lines that serve a large part of the neighborhoods of Sofia. This is one of the most significant changes in ground transport in recent years, because it concerns neighborhoods such as “Lyulin“, “Nadezhda“, “Mladost“, “Gotse Delchev“, “Hadji Dimitar“ and others. This was stated by the Deputy Mayor of the Sofia Municipality for “Transport and Urban Mobility“ Viktor Chaushev at a briefing in connection with the reform related to Sofia's ground public transport.
„Last but not least, public transport is entering more significantly and creating new connections between „Orlandovtsi“ and „Nadezhda“, said the Deputy Mayor for Transport.
Chaushev stressed that this is a complex proposal and is not being worked on piecemeal. „This concerns the introduction of new rolling stock, through which this major change can be ensured. It is about the purchase of 125 new vehicles, for which we have already selected a contractor - these are 75 trolleybuses and 50 electric buses“, he announced and specified that the contracts for them have been signed and with the provision of funds for them, the actual physical implementation will begin.
The main strategy is for these funds to come under the operational program „Environment“. „In order for these funds to be requested, "We must have an accepted concept, that is, it must be clear where these new vehicles will move, what older rolling stock they will replace, what will be the environmental effect of them, how much more service will be organized, how many cars and traffic will be reduced, so that these people can have an alternative to use these new lines," Chaushev explained.
He called on the municipal councilors in the transport committee to approve the report.
With the support of the report, the municipality will be able to apply with these specific parameters for European funding, so that this investment in electric transport can be realized. “With this report, we are actually building on the very policy that we are currently pursuing, namely to offer increasingly complex solutions that do not solve problems piecemeal, but on the contrary - little by little to improve service in large parts of Sofia“, Chaushev pointed out.
We are creating 40 km of new routes in order to be able to serve the villa areas of Kosanin Dol, the area around German, in “Gorna Banya“, at “Ovcha Kupel“ and other places, said the Deputy Mayor for Transport and pointed out that the environmental effect is very important for this investment. In his words, this means cleaner air for people, newer vehicles, greater capacity for anticipation, i.e. public transport will be more accessible, with greater capacity and will be able to physically transport more passengers.
“Especially with regard to trolleybuses, a very small construction of a contact network is planned, i.e. 95% of the increase in these sections will be implemented on the basis of a battery that will be built into the trolleybus“, he added.
The increase in mileage with the implementation of this investment will be 7%.
“Orlandovtsi“ for the first time there will be a direct connection to the central city area without a transfer through the extension of trolleybus No. 8.
In „Nadezhda“ through the connection on „Istoriya Slavianobulgarska“ street through „Stochna Gara“ they will have a connection with trolleybus No. 15 to the city center directly.
Asked about the resignation of the Deputy Mayor for Culture and Tourism Blagorodna Zdravkova, Chaushev replied that he had no information about the reasons. „You should contact the mayor, after all, he is the leader“, he also said.