Bulgarian capital Sofia to buy 10 trams from Prague
The city council in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia voted on April 18 to approve the purchase for 400 000 leva (about 200 000 euro) of 10 second-hand trams from Prague.
The trams, of the Tatra type T6A5, will replace those dating from the 1980s in use on lines 20 and 22.
Line 20, from Iskar Depot to Opalchenka stop, currently features among the oldest trams in use in Sofia.
In recent years, Sofia twice has bought trams from Prague, 20 in 2016 and 10 in 2017.
The trams feature an improved mechanical braking system, an easy-to-operate steering system and would be more comfortable for passengers.
The 2019 purchase would prove cheaper than renovating the existing trams.
Sofia city councillor Zafir Zarkov told local media that a new tram would cost about 1.6 million euro, and the project approved on April 18 thus worked out much cheaper.
He said that the procedure for finalising the contract between the municipalities of Sofia and Prague was underway. It was possible that the trams would be delivered by the summer, Zarkov said.
(Photo, of a Tatra T6A5 tram in Prague: Kevin B, via Wikimedia Commons)
