Editing Sofia (section)

==Transport and infrastructure==

With its developing infrastructure and strategic location, Sofia is a major hub for international railway and automobile transport. Three of the ten [[Pan-European corridors|Pan-European Transport Corridors]] cross the city: [[Pan-European Corridor IV|IV]], [[Pan-European Corridor VIII|VIII]], and [[Pan-European Corridor X|X]].<ref name="infrastructure">[http://www.sofia.bg/pressecentre/images/OPR1part-4.pdf Sofia infrastructure from the official website of the Municipality] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528144952/http://www.sofia.bg/pressecentre/images/OPR1part-4.pdf |date=28 May 2008 }} {{in lang|bg}}</ref> All major types of transport (except [[Maritime transport|water]]) are represented in the city.

[[File:21.04.10 Sofia 31005 (6168607167).jpg|thumb|A [[Siemens Desiro]] train of the Bulgarian State Railways at the Central Railway Station]]
[[File:Krasno Selo metrostation.jpg|thumb|[[Krasno Selo Metro Station]]]]
The [[Sofia Central Station|Central Railway Station]] is the primary hub for domestic and international rail transport, carried out by [[Bulgarian State Railways]] (BDZ), the national rail company headquartered in the city. It is one of the main stations along [[BDZ Line 1]], and a hub of Lines [[BDZ Line 2|2]], [[BDZ Line 5|5]], and [[BDZ Line 13|13]]. Line 1 provides a connection to [[Plovdiv]], the second-largest city in Bulgaria, while Line 2 is the longest national railway and connects Sofia and [[Varna, Bulgaria|Varna]], the largest coastal city. Lines 5 and 13 are shorter and provide connections to [[Kulata]] and [[Bankya]], respectively. Overall, Sofia has {{convert|186|km|mi|0|abbr=in}} of railway lines.<ref name="NSI regional">{{cite web|url=http://www.nsi.bg/regstaten.php?RST=44 |title=Sofia (capital) |publisher=National Statistical Institute regional statistics |date=11 February 2013 |access-date=17 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114022155/http://www.nsi.bg/regstaten.php?RST=44 |archive-date=14 November 2013 }}</ref>

[[Sofia Airport]] handled 7,922,702 passengers in 2024.<ref>{{cite web |title=Air Traffic Statistics 2019-2024 |url=https://sofia-airport.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Statistics-ENG-2024-12-1.pdf |website=sofia-airport.eu |publisher=SOF Connect |access-date=20 February 2025}}</ref>

[[Sofia Public Transport|Public transport]] is well-developed with [[Public buses in Sofia|bus]] ({{convert|2380|km|0|abbr=on}}),<ref name="bus">{{cite web |url=http://www.sofiatraffic.bg/en/transport/istoriia-na-gradskiia-transport/59/istoriia-na-avtobusniia-transport |title=History of the bus network in Sofia |publisher=Sofiatraffic.bg |access-date=30 August 2012 |archive-date=27 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827065839/http://www.sofiatraffic.bg/en/transport/istoriia-na-gradskiia-transport/59/istoriia-na-avtobusniia-transport |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Trams in Sofia|tram]] ({{convert|308|km|0|abbr=on}}),<ref name="tramway">{{cite web |url=http://www.sofiatraffic.bg/en/transport/istoriia-na-gradskiia-transport/51/history-of-sofia-trams |title=History of the tramway network in Sofia |publisher=Sofiatraffic.bg |access-date=30 August 2012 |archive-date=30 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630001034/https://www.sofiatraffic.bg/en/transport/istoriia-na-gradskiia-transport/51/history-of-sofia-trams |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Trolleybuses in Sofia|trolleybus]] ({{convert|193|km|0|abbr=on}})<ref name="trolleybuses">{{cite web |url=http://www.sofiatraffic.bg/en/transport/istoriia-na-gradskiia-transport/56/history-of-trolleybus-transport |title=History of the trolleybus network in Sofia |publisher=Sofiatraffic.bg |date=14 February 1941 |access-date=30 August 2012 |archive-date=27 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827032920/http://www.sofiatraffic.bg/en/transport/istoriia-na-gradskiia-transport/56/history-of-trolleybus-transport |url-status=live }})</ref> lines running in all areas of the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sumc.bg/|title=Public transport Sofia&nbsp;— official website|publisher=sumc.bg|access-date=24 May 2008|language=bg|archive-date=29 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529145627/https://www.sofiatraffic.bg/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dak-transport.com/ |title=Transport Company Bulgaria— official website |publisher=dak-transport.com |access-date=21 August 2009 |language=bg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090907131419/http://www.dak-transport.com/|archive-date=7 September 2009 }}</ref> The [[Sofia Metro]] became operational in January 1998 with only 5 stations and currently has four lines and 47 stations.<ref name="subway2">
{{cite web|url = http://bnt.bg/bg/news/view/83680/nov_lych_na_metroto|title = Българска национална телевизия – Новини (Bulgarian National Television – News)|publisher = bnt.bg|access-date  = 2 September 2012|language = bg|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120903000901/http://bnt.bg/bg/news/view/83680/nov_lych_na_metroto|archive-date = 3 September 2012|df = dmy-all}}</ref> {{As of|2022}}, the system has {{convert|52|km|0|abbr=on}} of track. Six new stations were opened in 2009, two more in April 2012, and eleven more in August 2012. In 2015 seven new stations were opened and the underground extended to [[Vasil Levski Sofia Airport]] on its Northern branch and to [[Business Park Sofia]] on its Southern branch. In July 2016 the [[Vitosha Metro Station]] was opened on the M2 main line. A third line was opened in August 2020 and re-organisation of the previous lines lead to a 4th line being created.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metropolitan.bg/bg/trans/ |title=ОП Транспорт и разширение |publisher=Metropolitan.bg |access-date=2 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814060151/http://www.metropolitan.bg/bg/trans/ |archive-date=14 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This line will complete the proposed underground system of three lines with about {{convert|65|km|0|abbr=on}} of lines.<ref name="subway">{{cite web|url = http://www.metropolitan.bg/index_bg.html|title = Metropolitan Sofia Web Place|publisher = metropolitan.bg|access-date = 24 May 2008|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081001173420/http://www.metropolitan.bg/index_bg.html|archive-date = 1 October 2008|url-status = dead|df = dmy-all}}</ref> The master plan for the Sofia Metro includes three lines with a total of 63 stations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metropolitan.bg/en/progress/scheme/ |title=General Scheme |publisher=Metropolitan.bg |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514222128/http://www.metropolitan.bg/en/progress/scheme/ |archive-date=14 May 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Until the late 2010s route taxis ([[marshrutka]]) provided an efficient and popular [[Mode of transport|means of transport]] by being faster than public transport, but cheaper than taxis. Their use declined with the expansion of the metro and they were gradually phased out. There are around 13,000 [[Taxi|taxi cabs]] operating in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nftvb.com/sofia.htm|title=National Federation of the Taxi Drivers in Bulgaria. Regional Member Sofia|publisher=nftvb.com|access-date=24 May 2008|archive-date=2 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080602152040/http://nftvb.com/sofia.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, all-[[electric vehicle]]s are available through [[carsharing]] company [[Spark (carsharing)|Spark]], which is set to increase its fleet to 300 cars by mid-2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.novinite.com/articles/195763/Shared+Electric+Vehicles+Spark+in+Sofia+Increase+by+170|title=Shared Electric Vehicles Spark in Sofia Increase by 170|publisher=Novinite|date=13 March 2019|access-date=30 March 2019|archive-date=29 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329234359/https://www.novinite.com/articles/195763/Shared+Electric+Vehicles+Spark+in+Sofia+Increase+by+170|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Sofia (37536243674).jpg|thumb|left|Cherni Vrah Boulevard]]
Private automobile ownership has grown rapidly in the 1990s; more than 1,000,000 cars were registered in Sofia after 2002. The city has the 4th-highest number of automobiles per capita in the European Union at 546.4 vehicles per 1,000 people.<ref>Sofia in Figures, p.26</ref> The municipality was known for minor and cosmetic repairs and many streets are in a poor condition. This is noticeably changing in the past years. There are different boulevards and streets in the city with a higher amount of traffic than others. These include Tsarigradsko shose, Cherni Vrah, Bulgaria, Slivnitsa, and Todor Aleksandrov boulevards, as well as the city's ring road.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnevnik.bg/show/?storyid=372682|title=Fines for bad repair work – 'Dnevnik' newspaper|publisher=dnevnik.bg|access-date=24 May 2008|archive-date=13 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113181856/http://www.dnevnik.bg/show/?storyid=372682|url-status=live}}</ref> Consequently, traffic and air pollution problems have become more severe and receive regular criticism in local media. The extension of the underground system is hoped to alleviate the city's immense traffic problems.

Sofia has an extensive [[Toplofikatsiya Sofia|district heating system]] that draws on four [[cogeneration|combined heat and power]] (CHP) plants and [[Heating plant|boiler stations]]. Virtually the entire city (900,000 households and 5,900 companies) is centrally heated, using residual heat from [[electricity generation]] (3,000 MW) and gas- and oil-fired heating furnaces; total [[Thermal mass|heat capacity]] is 4,640 MW. The heat distribution piping network is {{convert|900|km|0|abbr=on}} long and comprises 14,000 substations and 10,000 heated buildings.