Tram maker Pesa delivers first of 13 vehicles to Bulgaria
The first of 13 low-floored, articulated Swing trams, ordered from Bydgoszcz-based tram manufacturer Pesa, was officially presented in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, on Thursday and will go into regular service on Friday, the company has announced.
A contract covering the supply of 13 Swing trams, with replacement parts and diagnostic equipment, as well as training provision, has been carried out since January. It is worth PLN 98 million (EUR 22.6 million).
The air-conditioned Swing trams are 30 metres long and can each carry up to 200 passengers with 41 sitting and 160 standing. They are adapted to the needs of disabled and sight-impaired passengers.
"We consistently stand for ecological transport in Sofia, that's why we decided to buy modern trams from Pesa, rather than cheaper buses or trolleybuses," Sofia Mayor Jordanka Fandakova was quoted in a press release as saying during a ceremonial tram ride. "I'm glad that from tomorrow a new Swing will carry passengers on line No. 18 and I hope that in the course of two years we will buy another 25 trams."
A tender for another 25 trams for the Bulgarian capital is ongoing and three companies, including Pesa, have submitted bids.
The current contract is Pesa's third to supply Sofia with trams. The Bydgoszcz firm had earlier delivered 25 trams to the capital in two contracts - one in 2013 for 20 units and the other in 2016 for five.
