Pesa has already supplied 25 Swing trams to Sofia.

BULGARIA: Sofia tram operator Stolichen Elektrotransport EAD signed a €22·8m contract with Pesa for the supply of 13 low-floor trams on January 29.

Deliveries are due to be completed by the end of the year, and the vehicles will operate on Route 5 serving the southwest of the city. The contract includes spare parts, diagnostic equipment and driver training.

The 1 009 mm gauge trams from Pesa’s Swing family will be 30 m long and 2 300 mm wide with capacity for 201 passengers including 40 seated. They will have an entrance height of 330 mm and be equipped with retractable platforms for gap-free boarding. The air-conditioned trams will be powered with four 105 kW asynchronous traction motors.

The Polish supplier previously supplied 25 Swing trams to Sofia: 20 were ordered in 2013 for €50m, and a further five were ordered in 2016.

Pesa had also bid in the previous tram tender, but Škoda Transportation won the contract in 2017 and is supplying 13 ForCity Classic trams.