The public transport company of Sofia, Stolichen Elektrotransport, has launched a procurement procedure for 40 100% low-floor trams, worth approximately EUR 100 million. In parallel, tenders are ongoing for a further 38 vehicles, bringing the total to 78 100% low-floor trams.
Financing is planned through loans, although the municipality has not yet finalised the exact arrangement, according to the company.
Over the coming years, Sofia’s electric transport fleet is set to be renewed at an accelerated pace, with the company also signing a contract for the purchase of 75 new trolleybuses. Several procurement procedures launched by the municipal company Stolichen Elektrotransport cover both new trams and trolleybuses.
According to the company’s director, Evgheni Ganchev, these measures implement a decision adopted in 2024 by the Sofia City Council. The objective is to retire the oldest trams, which date back to the socialist era and are still in use on certain lines.
The resolution sets out procurement directions for both Stolichen Elektrotransport and the city’s bus transport company. Later, in autumn 2025, the City Council mandated Mayor Vasil Terziev to select a bank from which to secure a EUR 200 million loan to finance the new vehicles.
Representatives of Sofia City Hall have stated that they are in discussions with the European Investment Bank, while also exploring other financing options, in order to identify the most efficient solution to support the modernisation programme.
Sofia’s tram network
Sofia’s tram network covers approximately 308 km and consists of 17 lines serving the Bulgarian capital. Currently, the rolling stock fleet comprises around 314 trams, of which 174 are in daily operation, with the remainder kept as reserves in depots.
In 2021, Pesa Bydgoszcz and the capital’s public transport operator signed a contract for the supply of 25 additional Swing trams. Under the three previous contracts, the Polish manufacturer had already delivered 37 such trams to Sofia.
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