The Sofia Municipality is presenting a feasibility study on the possibilities for the development of the Knyazhevo lift and the construction of a new cable car connection between the "Knyazhevo" neighborhood and the Kopitoto area, the municipal administration announced.
The study was prepared by a specialized consulting company from France within the framework of the "Vision for Vitosha" initiative. The analysis examines various technical, spatial and investment scenarios for the construction of a modern lift facility.
The existing cable car along the route was built in 1962 and ceased operation in 1992, with a capacity of 600 people per hour, BTA recalls. According to the expert analysis, the existing machinery, equipment and poles are unusable and cannot be restored for operation.
Within the framework of the feasibility study, the consultants were assigned issues related to the possibility of using the existing route, applying new technologies within the built-up areas of the old stations without expansion, as well as extending the first station to the last stop of tram line No. 5.
The experts identified a potential location for a new starting station near the last stop of tram line No. 5, which would provide a convenient transport connection. From this location, three options for the route of the new cable car have been developed – a direct line without an intermediate station, a line with a bend at the old first station using the entire old route and a line with a new intermediate station using the old route to Kopitoto.
The proposed option provides for the use of the existing lift steps, which preserves the status of the facility and does not require the opening of new procedures for approving the route and supporting elements.
The consultants also recommend studying the possibility of expanding the functions of the terminal station at Kopitoto without changing the built-up area. The idea is to develop it as a multifunctional space with a public and tourist character, including a visitor area, a restaurant and a panoramic platform.
The planned travel time from the first station in Knyazhevo to Kopitoto, with an intermediate station, is about 11 minutes, with a capacity of 600 people per hour being planned. The study also presents examples from other countries, where ticket prices for similar lift facilities vary between 8 and 18 euros.
BTA recalls that on November 18, the Sofia Municipality proposed a Memorandum of Cooperation for the development of the “Vitosha“ Nature Park with the aim of restoring and modernizing the lifts, improving access to the mountain and building a sustainable environmentally friendly infrastructure, addressed to key state institutions and stakeholders, including the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Ministry of Environment and Water, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Executive Forestry Agency, the Directorate of “Vitosha Nature Park“ and “Vitosha Ski“ AD.