Czech Republic: The manufacturer has delivered a four-car trainset from the plant in Ostrava to the VUZ test circuit in Velim.
The tests will be followed by trials in Bulgaria’s capital. The assembly of the second train is to be finished in October.
Each walk-through vehicle can accommodate 762 passengers. The trains are fitted with three-phase asynchronous motors, energy recuperation and automatic speed control systems.
The Škoda Group train for the Sofia metro. Source: Škoda Group
The €65 mln contract on delivery of eight trains was inked in summer 2023. The vehicles are to be launched on Lines 1, 2 and 4 in 2026. Previously, the TMH plant in Mytishchi delivered trains for these lines, but the Russian manufacturer was not admitted to tender due to the EU sanctions. This resulted in search for an alternative supplier, capable of installing automation systems compatible with the Russian systems currently in operation in Sofia. The only respondent was Škoda Group as it has some experience in working with metro trains based on Soviet-era models.
