More Inspiros for metro in Sofia

On 20 July 2023 the SIMETRO consortium (consisting of Siemens Mobility Bulgaria, Siemens Mobility Austria and NEWAG) has signed a contract with Metropoliten EAD to supply eight additional three-car Inspiro trains for the Sofia Metro Line 3. The agreement covers the delivery of trains equipped with CBTC Trainguard MT on-board equipment. They are to serve the new extension of the Sofia Metro through the Slatina housing estate to Tsarigradsko Shosse Boulevard. 

The new 80 km/h units will be ot the same design like the previous batches. They will be 60 m long and 2.65 m wide, providing increased space and comfort for passengers. The floor will be made of a composite coating of cork and aluminum, which reduces weight and dampens noise. The driver's cab and passenger compartment are air-conditioned for maximum comfort. The longitudinal seats and 12 wide doors on each side of the train ensure maximum passenger capacity and seamless passenger traffic flow in the stations. The bodyshells will be manufactured at the Siemens Mobility works inWien, while final assembly and testing will be carried out in Nowy Sącz, with consortium partner Newag. 

The entire fleet of 38 Inspiro trains will be operating along the most upgraded route of the Sofia metro. The newly extended Line 3 will cost around 270 million EUR. It will pass through the districts of Slatina and Geo Milev towards Tsarigradsko Shosse Blvd. and multi-profile active treatment hospital Sveta Anna. The section with a length of 6 km is to have six stations. 

The extension will provide a better services for the residents of the eastern districts of Bulgarian capital with the western quarters of Ovcha kupel 1 and 2, and Gorna banya, as well as with the other two metro lines and with key transport hubs like the central railway station and Sofia Airport. The section is expected to be completed during the second half of 2026. 

In 2015, Metropoliten EAD awarded a consortium consisting of Siemens and Newag the supply of trains and the construction of communication and ATP systems for the new Line 3. The initial order covered the first phase of the project for the construction of an 8 km section with seven stations and included the supply of 20 Inspiro trains and control and safety systems. Subsequently, the order was extended with an option to supply 10 more units of the same series and associated ATP for the Line 3 extension, which connects Ovcha kupel and Gorna banya districts with the city centre. The new section was officially opened in April 2021. 

In 2020, Siemens Mobility won the public procurement order for the extension of Line 3 in Hadzhi Dimitar quarter, including three stations, and in 2022, it signed a contract for the delivery and implementation of systems for train traffic control within the new extension with six stations from the Military Academy to Tsarigradsko Shosse Blvd.