| Sofia Tramway | |
|---|---|
| Info | |
| Owner | Capital municipality |
| Locale | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Transit type | Tram |
| Number of lines | 19[1] |
| Number of stations | 165[1] |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1 January 1901 |
| Operator(s) | Sofia Public Transport |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,009/1,435 mm |
The Sofia Tramway began operation 1 January 1901.[2] The current system includes over 300 km of narrow and standard gauge track. Most of the track is narrow gauge, with standard gauge used on lines 20, 22 and 23, accounting for 40 km of the system length.[2]
Contents |
On 1 December 1898 the capital municipality gave concessions for building tram lines to French and Belgian companies. Construction took place for a little more than a year and the first tram line was inaugurated on 1 January 1901. Initially the population was served by 25 motor cars and 10 carriages which covered 6 lines with total length of 23 km and gauge of 1,000 mm.[2]
In the period between 1901 and 1931 large numbers of tractor cars and carriages were delivered by different European producers. In 1931 began the construction of Bulgarian carriages under the supervision of the engineer Teodosiy Kardalev. These were known as the Kardalev's carriages. In 1936 the first Bulgarian tractor cars were produced under the brand DTO (which stands for the Bulgarian Directsiya na tramvaite i osvetlenieto - Bureau for trams and lighting, owned by the municipality). Initially old chassis were used for the production.[3]
In 1934 in the territory of the modern urban municipality Krasno selo was constructed the first large tram depot. On that place in 1951 was built a factory for the production of tram motor cars which succeeded Kardalev's workshop of DTO. Up to 1959 it produced 155 motor car DTO and Republika which were the first fully Bulgarian trams. The last tram, T8M-900 was made in 1991 and is still in use.[2] Since then the factory is used to repair and renovate old trams.
The first line with the standard gauge of 1,435 mm was inaugurated in 1987. Up to that time all lines were narrow gauge (1,009 mm). Eight years later, in 1995, was finished the second line with standard gauge which remains the last line constructed in the capital.[2]
| 1 | Central Railway Station - Nadlez Nadejda |
| 3 | Zaharna Fabrika - Sofia Central Railway Station - Orlandovci quarter |
| 4 | Buckstone blvd. - Macedonia sq. - Orlandovci quarter |
| 5 | Courthouse - Krasno selo market - Kniajevo quarter |
| 6 | Lozenets (Spartak swimming pool) - The Five corners (Pette kyosheta) - Obelya 2 quarter |
| 7 | Borovo quarter - NDK- The Five corners (Pette kyosheta)- Central railway station |
| 8 | Lyulin-5 complex - Vardar boulevard - Courthouse |
| 10 | Zapaden Park - Mall of Sofia - Korab Planina str. |
| 11 | Nikola Petrov boulevard - Todor Alexandrov boulevard - Ilianci quarter |
| 12 | Journalist square - Hristo Botev boulevard - Ilianci quarter |
| 18 | Russian Embassy - Slaveikov square - Orlandovci quarter |
| 19 | Nikola Petkov boulevard - Krasna Poliana quarter - Sofia North Railway Station |
| 20 | Iskar Depot - Knyaz Aleksandar Dondukov Boulevard - Central Sofia Market Hall - Opalchenska Metro Station |
| 22 | Autostation East - Knyaz Aleksandar Dondukov Boulevard - Central Sofia Market Hall - Krasna Polyana Depot |
| 23 | Mladezhki theater - Iskarsko Shose Street -Kopenhagen Boulevard - Obikolna Street |