site.btaSofia to Renew Its Public Transport Fleet for BGN 1 Bln

A project on refurbishment of public transport in Sofia worth more than BGN 1 billion was presented Wednesday by Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev and representatives of the Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria - Save Sofia (CC-DB-SS) local coalition.

Sofia's public transport is a complex system that serves 1.1 million people every day, Terziev said.

Andrei Zografski, municipal councilor of CC-DB-SS, said that in recent years the focus has been on the development of the metro, but now it will be directed to the serious issues concerning surface transport. The project is worth BGN 1 billion, with the bigger part of the amount, BGN 608 million, intended for purchasing 110 brand new trams, while 40 others will be refurbished abroad before reintroduced to Sofia's rolling stock. A total of BGN 608 million of the programme's funds will be allocated for refurbishing trams, Zografski added.

The Sofia City Council also envisages to put into operation 75 new dual trolleybuses using overhead catenary to charge. Furthermore, 260 new buses, 60 of which electric, will be purchased. “We want to return all the urban transport to municipal hands”, Zografski said.

Sofia Deputy Finance Mayor Ivan Vasilev said that the local authorities should start looking for different sources to fund the project. Potential options could be EU operational programmes or loan financing from international banks, Vasilev noted.

Commenting on the project, GERB municipal councilor Anton Hekimyan told journalists this is yet another promise of Mayor Vassil Terziev for which there is no money. In Hekimyan's words, the project lacks funding information and this is "yet another publicity stunt by Vassil Terziev". However, GERB-UDF will support the initiative, he added.