Skoda reveals first four-car train for Sofia Metro

Czech train manufacturer Skoda Group has launched the first four-car metro train for Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, at its manufacturing site in Pilsen.

The approximately 80m new four-car train set is part of a contract with the Bulgarian operator Metropoliten EAD to supply a total of eight trains for the capital city’s metro service. The agreement is valued at approximately Kč1.6bn ($77.07m).

Škoda is manufacturing the trains at its plants in Pilsen and Ostrava, both in Czechia.

The first metro is currently undergoing type and test runs at the Velim test circuit, while the second is in factory acceptance testing. Two further trains are currently in the production stage.

Skoda Group board member and COO Zdeněk Sváta said: “The unveiling of the new metro train shows that the project is progressing according to plan.

“The first vehicle will be transported to Sofia in November, and we aim to complete the entire order in the first half of next year.”

The metro train has a maximum design speed of 90km/h and runs on a third rail supplying 750V DC.

The new trains will mainly operate on lines 1, 2 and 4.

The train is equipped with three-phase asynchronous motors and regenerative braking systems that return energy to the grid.

Each train provides more than 580 passenger spaces, including roughly 120 seats, and includes accessibility features such as barrier-free boarding and designated areas for wheelchair users.

An automatic speed control system manages speed and train separation for operational safety. Four double-leaf doors per side on each car facilitate efficient passenger flow, stated the company.

Sofia’s metro system, operational since 1998, serves around 400,000 passengers daily through four lines spanning more than 52km and over 50 stations.

In July this year, Arriva Group announced a €300m ($349.3m) contract with Skoda for 22 electric multiple units in Czechia.