Retro Tram to Start Functioning as Tourist Information Center in Sofia

A renovated retro tram will become the fifth tourist information center in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia.

The mayor of Sofia, Yordanka Fandakova, attended the presentation of the new city’s attraction on Tuesday prior to the ceremony on illuminating the Christmas tree lights of the capital.

People attended the event on Vuzrazhdane square, where they could take a closer look at the green vintage railcar and feel the atmosphere of the past.

The machine is one of the 12 MAN Siemens trams imported from Germany in 1935 and such vehicles remained in use until late the 1970s.

The retro tram is part of the historical heritage of Sofia and currently a replica of the railcar is located in the Sofia History Museum.

The tram weighs 12 tonnes and its maximum speed is 40 km/h. With its 14 seats and 92 places for standing passengers, the tram can accommodate more than 100 people.

“After the yellow cobblestones, the tram is probably the most recognisable symbol of Sofia,” said Fandakova.

The mayor expressed hope that it will turn into a huge tourist attraction for the visitors of the capital.

The Municipality of Sofia is still looking for an appropriate location of the tram, with the proposal being for it to be exhibited on the pedestrian zone of Vitosha boulevard.

The vintage railcar will welcome its first visitors next spring, when it will be officially start functioning as a tourist information center.

Fandakova noted that in the first ten months of the year the number of tourists in Sofia has increased by 10 % compared to the same period in 2014.