Sofia Metro

Not to be confused with Sofia metro station.

Sofia Metro
Krasno Selo Metro Station, 26 August 2020
Overview
Native name	Софийско метро
Owner	City of Sofia
Locale	Sofia, Bulgaria
Transit type	Rapid transit
Number of lines	4
Number of stations	50 7 under construction
Daily ridership	516 000
Annual ridership	123 million (2024)
Chief executive	Nikolai Naidenov
Website	www.metropolitan.bg
Operation
Began operation	28 January 1998 (1998-01-28)
Operator(s)	Metropoliten JSC
Number of vehicles	272
Technical
System length	55.0 km (34.2 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	825 V DC from third rail (M1/M2/M4 lines) 1,500 V DC from overhead catenary (M3 line)
Average speed	39 km/h (24 mph)
Top speed	90 km/h (56 mph)
System map

The Sofia Metro (Bulgarian: Софийски метрополитен, romanized: Sofiyski Metropoliten, also colloquially called Bulgarian: Софийско метро, romanized: Sofiysko Metro) is the rapid transit network servicing the Bulgarian capital city Sofia. It is the only metro in Bulgaria. It began operation on 28 January 1998. As of 2026, the Sofia Metro consists of four interconnected lines, serving 50 stations, with a total route length of 52.0 kilometres (32.3 mi) and also being among the top 15 of the most extensive European metro systems, ranking 9th as of 2026. The Metro links the densely populated districts of Lyulin – Mladost (M1 line – Red) and Nadezhda – Lozenets (M2 line – Blue), and serves the Vasil Levski Sofia Airport. The ticket payment system is very easy and modern, similar to New York, Toronto, London or Paris. One ticket is 0.80 EUR.

History

• 
  One of the first proposed projects, 1974 , author K. Kamenov

Planned since the 1960s, construction of the metro started in the 80s with the demolition of a significant number of buildings. At the beginning of the 90s, construction stopped due to a lack of funds and the complexity of the construction work. Being one of the oldest cities in Europe, Sofia contains many historical layers underneath its central areas. Evidence of antiquity can be clearly seen at the Serdika Station, which exhibits a wealth of unearthed Thracian and Roman ruins. During the construction of the enormous complex of the National Palace of Culture, two stations forming part of the M2 line and their connecting tunnels were built.

The construction of the system began from the route that sees the highest volume of passenger traffic, reaching 38,000 at rush hour.

Lines

Due to an increased population, there are a large number of passengers heading toward the city center during weekday mornings, and away from the city centre in the weekday evenings. The necessity of efficient public transport in the direction of the largest passenger flows, transport, and Sofia's environmental problems precipitated the start of the construction of the Sofia Metro. Following the ratification of a technical and economic report on the metro by the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria, and the subsequently approved General City Plan, the general scheme for the development of the lines should consist of three diameters with extensions in the periphery, with a total length of 66.7 kilometres (41.4 mi), 71 metro stations, and a 1.2 million daily passenger capacity at the final stage of implementation.

System

Line	Icon	Opened	Current length (km [mi])	Current stations	U/C length (km [mi])	U/C stations	Planned length (km [mi])	Planned stations
M1		28/01/1998	17.6 (10.9)	16	0 (0.0)	0	19.3 (12.0)	20
M2		31/08/2012	11.7 (7.3)	13	0 (0.0)	1	14.5 (9.0)	16
M3		26/08/2020	14.2 (8.8)	15	2.8 (1.7)	0	14.2 (8.8)	15
M4		02/04/2015 (as line M2) 26/08/2020 (separated from M2)	23.0 (14.3)	20	0 (0.0)	1	22.1 (13.7)	20
M5		Future	0 (0.0)	0	0 (0.0)	0	16.0 (9.9)	16
M6		Future	0 (0.0)	0	5.5 (3.4)	6	16.0 (9.9)	16
Total:			49.0 (30.4)	50	8.3 (5.2)	7	66.7 (41.4)	71

M1 line (Red)

M1 line
All stations are wheelchair accessible
4 To Obelya Obelya Depot Slivnitsa Lyulin Zapaden Park Suhodolska River Vardar Konstantin Velichkov Vladayska River Opalchenska Serdika2 SU St. Kliment Ohridski3 Perlovska River Vasil Levski Stadium Joliot-Curie Novachitsa River G.M.Dimitrov Musagenitsa Vartopo River Mladost 1 4 To Sofia Airport Aleksandar Malinov Aleksandar Teodorov - Balan Banishka River Business Park Sofia Mladost 6 Simeonovo Station names in italics are not confirmed.
Detailed track map 1 – 4 to Depot   ↓Opened 1998↓ 0' Slivnitsa 2' Lyulin 4' Zapaden Park Suhodolska National Rail to Pernik-Kulata/Kyustendil 7' Vardar 9' Konstantin Velichkov   ↓Opened 1999↓ Vladayska 11' Opalchenska   ↓Opened 2000↓ 13' Serdika Serdika II 2   ↓Opened 2009↓ 15' Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski Orlov Most 3 Perlovska 17' Vasil Levski Stadium 21' Joliot-Curie WTC Novachitsa 23' G.M.Dimitrov 24' Musagenitsa Vartopo 26' Mladost 1 00' 4 to Sofia Airport 00'   ↓Opened 2012↓   29' Mladost 3 31' Inter Expo Center – Tsarigradsko shose   ↓Opened 2015↓ 33' Druzhba 36' Iskarsko shose National Rail to Ihtiman/Karlovo 38' Sofiyska Sveta gora 40' Sofia Airport Terminal 2 Airport branch end 00'   ↓Opened 2015↓   28' Aleksandar Malinov 30' Akademik Aleksandar Teodorov - Balan Banishka 32' Business Park Sofia Mladost branch end

The first 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) long section of M1 line consisting of five stations linking Slivnitsa Boulevard through Lyulin and K. Velichkov Boulevard was inaugurated on 28 January 1998. Opalchenska station entered into service on 17 September 1999 and Serdika station situated on St Nedelya Square followed on 31 October 2000, extending the total system length to 8.1 kilometres (5.0 mi). The operational section of the line was further extended with a 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) long section, reaching Obelya housing estate in April 2003.

The extension of M1 line continued in 2005 with the start of the construction of 4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi) of tunnels and three stations linking St Nedelya Square and the Interped World Trade Center in Izgrev (station Frédéric Joliot-Curie). 2006 saw the start of the construction of another section of the same line (consisting of 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) of tunnels and three stations) linking Izgrev and Mladost I housing estate. The completion of the first three stations was projected for the autumn of 2007, however as a result of various delays it was the second section from the first line (Vasil Levski stadium – Mladost 1) that first entered into service on 8 May 2009, operating for a brief period of time separately from the north-west portion of the line. The remaining section between Serdika and Vasil Levski stadium station finally entered into service on 7 September 2009 establishing an uninterrupted link between Obelya and Mladost 1 stations.

The construction of the section from Mladost I to Business Park Sofia station (2.62 kilometres (1.63 mi), with three new underground stations) began on 25 April 2013, and was completed on 8 May 2015. It cost 43,852,320 EUR, VAT exclusive, and serves the majority of the second most densely populated area in Sofia. Part of the sections of "Sofia Airport" - "Iskarsko Shose" and, Ovcha kupel" -, Krasno selo" are not underground.

Struma and Tsaritsa Yoanna stations are a planned extension of M1 line, west of Lyulin station. Their construction will start in 2027-2028, and when completed, M1 split from the M4 after Lyulin station. M4 will continue to serve Slivnitsa and Pancho Vladigerov stations.

Station	Image	In service since	Exits	Intermodality	Location
Dobrinova skala Добринова скала		planned			Near Lyulin III housing estate, on Sofia Ring Road
Tsaritsa Yoanna Царица Йоанна		planned			Near Lyulin II housing estate
Slivnitsa Сливница		28 January 1998	4	first station of the shared section with M4	Slivnitsa Blvd and Pancho Vladigerov Blvd
Lyulin Люлин					Tsaritsa Yoanna Blvd in Lyulin
Zapaden Park Западен парк			8		Tsaritsa Yoanna Blvd and Dr. Petar Dertliev Blvd
Vardar Вардар			6		Tsaritsa Yoanna Blvd and Vardar Blvd
Konstantin Velichkov Константин Величков			3		Todor Aleksandrov Blvd and Konstantin Velichkov Blvd
Opalchenska Опълченска		17 September 1999	6		Todor Aleksandrov Blvd and Opalchenska St
Serdica Сердика		31 October 2000	12		Todor Aleksandrov Blvd and Knyaginya Maria Luisa Blvd
Sofia University Sveti Kliment Ohridski СУ „Св. Климент Охридски“		7 September 2009	13		Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd in front of Sofia University
Vasil Levski Stadium Стадион „Васил Левски“		8 May 2009	2		Northeastern tip of Borisova Gradina Park, near Vasil Levski National Stadium
Frédéric Joliot-Curie Фр. Жолио Кюри				Yug Bus Station	Dragan Tsankov Blvd in Iztok
G. M. Dimitrov Г. М. Димитров			4		Dr. Georgi Mihov Dimitrov Blvd and Dragan Tsankov Blvd
Musagenitsa Мусагеница			1		Western end of Prof. Marko Semov Blvd bridge
Mladost I Младост I			5	last station of the shared section with M4	Jerusalem St and Andrey Sakharov Blvd
Aleksandar Malinov Александър Малинов		8 May 2015	6		Aleksandrov Malinov Blvd and Andrey Lyapchev Blvd in Mladost II/III
Akad. Aleksandar Teodorov-Balan Акад. Александър Теодоров-Балан					Aleksandrov Malinov Blvd and Dr. Atanas Moskov St in Mladost II/III
Business Park Sofia Бизнес Парк София			4	Park and ride facility	Aleksandar Malinov Blvd, adjacent to Business Park Sofia in Mladost IV

M2 and M4 lines (Blue/Yellow)

M2 and M4 lines
All stations are wheelchair accessible
Obelya cont. as 4 cont. as 2 Pancho Vladigerov (under construction) Lomsko shose 1 Slivnitsa Beli Dunav Lyulin Nadezhda Zapaden Park Han Kubrat Vardar Knyaginya Maria Luiza Konstantin Velichkov Central Railway Opalchenska Lavov most ↖Serdika↘ ↙Serdika II↗ 3NDK SU St. Kliment Ohridski3 European Union Vasil Levski Stadium James Bourchier Joliot-Curie Vitosha G.M.Dimitrov 2 To Dragalevtsi Musagenitsa Mladost 1 1 To Business park Mladost 3 Inter Expo Center – Tsarigradsko shose Druzhba Iskarsko shose Sofiyska Sveta gora Sofia Airport Station names in italics are not confirmed.
Detailed track map Line end -8' Vitosha   ↑Opened 2016↑ -6' James Bourchier -4' European Union built 1981 opened 2012 Perlovska -2' NDK built 1981 opened 2012 NDK II 3   Serdika 1 and 4 0' Serdika II Vladayska 2' Lavov most 3' Central Railway Station 5' Knyaginya Maria Luiza BDŽ National Rail to Pernik-Kulata/Kyustendil BDŽ National Rail to Dragoman/Radomir/Bankya 00' Future extension 00' M5 Ilyantsi branch Lev Tolstoy Svoboda Iliyansko shose Ilyantsi Ilyantsi branch end 7' Han Kubrat Suhodolska 9' Nadezhda 11' Beli Dunav 13' Lomsko shose ↑Opened 2012↑   15' Obelya Kakach Pancho Vladigerov (under construction) National Rail to Dragoman/Radomir/Bankya   ↑Opened 2003↑ RED line to Depot   ↓Opened 1998↓ -13' Slivnitsa -11' Lyulin -8' Zapaden Park Suhodolska National Rail to Pernik-Kulata/Kyustendil -6' Vardar -4' Konstantin Velichkov   ↓Opened 1999↓ Vladayska -2' Opalchenska   ↓Opened 2000↓ 0' Serdika Serdika II 2   ↓Opened 2009↓ 3' Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski Orlov Most 3 Perlovska 5' Vasil Levski Stadium 8' Joliot-Curie WTC Novachitsa 10' G.M.Dimitrov 12' Musagenitsa Darvenishka 14' Mladost 1 00' 1 to Business Park   ↓Opened 2015↓   16' Aleksandar Malinov 18' Akademik Aleksandar Teodorov - Balan Banishka 20' Business Park Sofia Mladost branch end 00'   ↓Opened 2012↓   16' Mladost 3 18' Inter Expo Center – Tsarigradsko shose   ↓Opened 2015↓ 20' Druzhba 23' Iskarsko shose National Rail to Ihtiman/Karlovo 25' Sofiyska Sveta gora 27' Sofia Airport Terminal 2 Airport branch end

The second and fourth lines of the Sofia Metro links the districts of Obelya, Nadezhda, the city centre and Lozenets to the south of the city. Half of the construction cost was covered by the European Union, with the remaining part funded by the state and city budgets. Construction of the 6.4 km (4.0 mi) section between Nadezhda interchange and Lozenets district via Central railway station and the National Palace of Culture started on 14 December 2008. Work on the section between Obelya residential District and Nadezhda started in February 2010. Both sections of the line entered into service on 31 August 2012.

NDK and European Union stations and their connecting tunnels were partly completed during the construction of the National Palace of Culture and the redevelopment of the surrounding area in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The construction of Mladost 3 and Inter Expo Center – Tsarigradsko shose stations began on 15 February 2009 and was completed on 25 April 2012. The further extension to Sofia Airport comprising two underground and two overground stations and a length of 4.968 kilometres (3.087 mi) began in 2013, and was completed on 2 April 2015 at the cost of 69,923,066 EUR, VAT exclusive. This extension was briefly operated as a branch of M1 line, but was soon transferred to M2 line, moving that line's terminus from Obelya to Sofia Airport.

On 20 July 2016, the line was extended southward with 1.3 km (0.81 mi) and one station, Vitosha, located at Hladilnika neighbourhood. The construction took 2 years.

Provisions have been made for the construction of future branch to Iliyantsi, starting from the existing junction located between Knyaginya Maria Luiza and Han Kubrat stations.

On 26 August 2020, the M2 line was split into two portions: the M2, running from Vitosha station to Obelya station, and the M4, running from Obelya to Sofia Airport. The trains continue to run the length of both lines but on maps and other metro signage the M4 line is gradually being introduced. The split was in preparation to the construction of the Pancho Vladigerov station, which will physically separate the lines and will allow them to have independent timetables. On 19 July 2025, M4 was cut to Slivnitsa, while M2 was cut to Obelya, due to the construction of the new Pancho Vladigerov station, which will open sometime in 2026.

M2 line (Blue)

Station	Image	Opened	Exits	Intermodality	Location
Obelya Обеля		20 April 2003	2	Trains arriving from Vitosha station continue as M4 trains to Sofia Airport. Trains arriving as M4 trains from Sofia Airport continue as M2 trains to Vitosha. Previously operated by Line M1.	Obelya over the Kakach river
Lomsko shose Ломско шосе		31 August 2012	4		Lomsko shose Blvd in Vrabnitsa
Beli Dunav Бели Дунав				Park and ride facility	Lomsko shose Blvd and Beli Dunav St, between Nadezhda and Vrabnitsa
Nadezhda Надежда			2		Lomsko shose Blvd, between Nadezhda I and Nadezhda II
Han Kubrat Хан Кубрат			4		Lomsko shose, north of Nadezhda Overpass in Triagalnika
Knyaginya Maria Luiza Княгиня Мария Луиза					Knyaginya Maria Luisa Blvd, south of Nadezhda Overpass in Banishora
Central Railway Station Централна ж.п. гара			15	BDZ trains, intercity and international buses	Knyaginya Maria Luisa Blvd, in front of Sofia Central Station and Central Bus Station Sofia
Lavov most Лъвов мост			4		Knyaginya Maria Luisa Blvd, north of Lavov Most
Serdica II Сердика II			12		Knyaginya Maria Luisa Blvd, in front of Central Hali
National Palace of Culture Национален дворец на културата			11		Northern end of the park of the National Palace of Culture
European Union Европейски съюз			6		Cherni vrah Blvd, near Earth and Man National Museum and City Center Sofia
James Bourchier Джеймс Баучер			4		James Bourchier Blvd in Lozenets
Vitosha Витоша		20 July 2016	6		Cherni vrah Blvd, near Paradise Center in Hladilnika
Cherni vrah Черни връх		planned		Southbound M5 diverges from M2 after this station.	Cherni vrah Blvd, between Prof. Marin Goleminov St and Dimitar Manchev St
Dragalevtsi Драгалевци					Sofia Ring Road interchange with Cherni vrah Blvd

M4 line (Yellow)

Station	Image	Opened	Exits	Intermodality	Location
Obelya Обеля		20 April 2003 (withdrawn 19 July 2025)	2	Trains arriving from Vitosha continue as M4 trains to Sofia Airport. M4 trains arriving from Sofia Airport continue as M2 trains to Vitosha. Previously operated by line M1	Obelya, over the Kakach river
Pancho Vladigerov Панчо Владигеров		under construction	2	M2 and M4 terminate	Beneath the National Rail, near Obelya Depot
Slivnitsa – Mladost I section shared with M1; see line
Mladost III Младост III		25 April 2012	4		Andrej Sakharov Blvd, Resen St, and Gen. Radko Dimitriev St
Inter Expo Center – Tsarigradsko shose Интер Експо Център – Цариградско шосе				Park and ride facility	Tsarigradsko shose near Inter Expo Center Tunnel exit in Druzhba II
Druzhba Дружба		2 April 2015	7		Between Prof. Tsvetan Lazarov Blvd and Kapt. Dimitar Spisarevski St
Iskarsko shose Искърско шосе			6	BDZ trains at Iskarsko shose Railway station	Iskarsko shose and Krastyo Pastuhov Blvd
Sofiyska Sveta Gora Софийска Света гора			2		Iskar Industrial zone
Sofia Airport Летище София			1	Sofia Airport, Terminal 2	The departures gate of Sofia Airport, Terminal 2

M3 line (Green)

The 16 km (9.9 mi) long M3 line is planned to connect the Ovcha Kupel neighbourhood (in southwest Sofia) and the Vasil Levski neighbourhood (in northeast Sofia), with 16 stations in total, including two transfer stations in the city centre, with the rest of the already operational lines. The first 8 stations of the line entered service on 26 August 2020, and another 4 on 24 April 2021. On 14 August 2026, 3 new stations were put into operation on the northern end.

The original plan was to have 8 aboveground and 11 underground stations. The project design contract was awarded to the Czech company Metroprojekt Praha a.s.

In March 2014, a tender for construction of the central section of the line was announced. The section is 7 km (4.3 mi) long and includes 7 stations, two of them transfer to lines 1 and 2. With the announcement of the tender, it became clear that the initial plans for 19 stations had been partly amended and 2 of the stations, one at Doyran boulevard and another at Shipka street, will not be built. The tunnel of the central section shall be excavated by a tunnel boring machine, while the construction of stations shall be awarded to other companies. The construction of the section shall be completed within 45 months. In January 2015, a tender for 20 trains that shall serve the central section of the line was announced. Driverless train operation, with Grade of Automation 3 (GoA 3), and platform screen doors will ensure the safety of the passengers. Unlike lines 1, 2 and 4, where the trains collect power through a third rail, line 3 trains will be equipped with pantographs. CAF and Siemens applied bids in the tender for the trains, with Siemens winning it.

In early 2016, construction began on the third metro line of the Sofia Metro using the technology for classic underground metro with high-power support. Under construction were all metro stations in the central section, the ones in the west and some in the central-east of downtown Sofia. The Krasno selo - Hadzhi Dimitar section opened on 26 August 2020, with the extension from Krasno selo to Gorna banya opening on 24 April 2021.

The third line of the Sofia Metro is planned to have a total of 15 metro stations for the main line and 6 metro stations for the M6 line (Slatina branch), which will split east of Orlov Most. Currently, 15 stations of the main line are in operation, the last 3 having opened on 14 August 2026. The 6 stations on the M6 Slatina Branch are starting construction since early 2023, and are projected to open in mid 2027.

Station	Image	Opened	Exits	Intermodality	Location
General Vladimir Vazov Владимир Вазов		14 August 2026	4		Vladimir Vazov Blvd and Pop Gruyu St
Besarabia Бесарабия			3		Vladimir Vazov Blvd and Vitinya St
Georgi Asparuhov Stadium Стадион „Георги Аспарухов"					Georgi Asparuhov Stadium, near the intersection of Vladimir Vazov Blvd and Vasil Kanchev St
Hadzhi Dimitar Хаджи Димитър		26 August 2020	2	Poduyane Bus Station	Gen. Vladimir Vazov Blvd and Todorini kukli St in Hadzhi Dimitar
Teatralna Театрална				near Poduyane Railway Station	Evlogi i Hristo Georgievi Blvd and Madrid Blvd, near Zaimov park
Orlov Most Орлов мост			13	Connected to SU St. Kliment Ohridski Future terminus of M6	Knyazheska gradina park
Sveti Patriarh Evtimiy Св. Патриарх Евтимий			3		On Patriarh Evtimiy Sq
National Palace of Culture II Национален дворец на културата II			11		Patriarh Evtimiy Blvd and Vitosha Blvd
Medical University Медицински университет			5		Praha Blvd and Georgi Sofiyski St
Bulgaria България			7		Bulgaria Blvd and Akad. I. E. Geshov Blvd
Krasno Selo Красно Село			4		Tsar Boris III Blvd and Zhitnitsa St
Ovcha kupel Овча купел		24 April 2021	5		Ovcha Kupel Blvd and President Lincoln Blvd
Moesia Мизия			6		Montevideo St near New Bulgarian University
Ovcha Kupel II Овча купел II			2		Tsentralna St and Zhiul Losho
Gorna Banya Горна баня			4	Park and ride facility BDZ trains on railway line №5	Sofia Ring Road (Boycho Boychev St) and President Lincoln Blvd

M6 line (Purple) under construction

The 6 stations serving Geo Milev, Slatina, and Mladost 1 housing estates is projected to exceed 75,000 daily ridership, and will be an important part of the network. At Trakiya station, there will be an underground park-and-ride facility.

Station	Image	Opened	Location
Krasno Selo – Orlov Most section shared with M3; see line
Sitnyakovo Ситняково		under construction	Geo Milev St and Sitnyakovo Blvd, servicing Oborishte and Yavorov housing estates
Geo Milev Гео Милев			Geo Milev St and Nikolai Kopernik St, servicing Geo Milev and Reduta housing estates
Slatina Слатина			Geo Milev St and Slatinska St, servicing Slatina and Hristo Smirnenski housing estates
SC CSKA СК ЦСКА			Shipchenski Prohod Blvd near Asen Yordanov Blvd, servicing the area near "CSKA Cherveno Zname" sports center
Arena Sofia Арена София			Asen Yordanov Blvd near Arena Sofia and Sofia Tech Park
Trakiya Тракия			Tsarigradsko shose near Dimitar Mollov St, servicing Mladost 1 and Poligona housing estates and The Mall

M5 line (Brown) planned

M5 is a planned line, servicing Studentski grad and Iliyantsi. This line would share more than half of M2's stations.

The Studentski grad branch would start from Cherni vrah Blvd, passing through Vitosha quarter and finally, enter Studentski grad. The Iliyantsi branch would start after Maria Luiza station, joining in on Iliyantsi Blvd, and have 4 stations on it.

Recently, a route has been planned for the Studentski grad branch, including 5 stations with one of them being shared with M2.

Station	Image	Opened	Intermodality	Location
Iliyantsi Илиянци		planned		Iliyantsi housing estate
Rozhen Рожен				Iliyantsi shopping center
Svoboda Свобода				Svoboda housing estate
Tolstoy Толстой				Tolstoy housing estate
Maria Luiza – Cherni vrah section shared with M2; see line
Cherni Vrah Черни Връх		planned	Shared station between M2 and M5. Southbound M5 diverges from M2 after this station.	Cherni vrah Blvd between Prof. Marin Goleminov St and Dimitar Manchev St
Stefan Savov Стефан Савов				Stefan Savov St and Prof. Georgi Manev St
Simeonovsko shose Симеоновско шосе				Prof Ivan Stransky St and Simeonovsko shose Blvd
NSA НСА				Akad. Stefan Mladenov St and Prof. Atanas Ishirkov St
Studentski Grad Студентски Град				Akad. Stefan Mladenov St between 8-mi dekemvri St and Iordan Iosifov St

Fares and ticketing

The price of a single ticket on the metro is 0.80 euro. It can be issued either by a cashier, or by a vending machine. When obtained, the single ticket must be validated within 30 minutes at a validator. Daily, monthly and yearly tickets and passes are also available.

Since November 1, 2021, one's fare can be paid using a contactless debit or credit card at every station of the network. In addition, passengers can pay using a mobile wallet (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Garmin Pay etc.). The fare is the same price as a paper ticket (0.80 euro for a single) and the amount you pay per day will max out at 2 euro, which is 3 trips (every trip after that is de facto free). The 2 euro max resets every day at 00:00 local time.

Rolling stock

The system uses 3 types of rolling stock.

The older train sets, type 81-717/714.4, were manufactured by Metrowagonmash in Mytishchi, Moscow Oblast, Russia and consists of 48 carriages in total. They were delivered in 1990 – some 8 years prior to the opening of the first section of the system. Most of them have been refurbished and now run as 81-717.4K/714.4K rolling stock

The second generation of rolling stock, type 81-740/741 "Rusich", were also manufactured by Metrowagonmash and delivered between 2005 and 2013, consisting of 120 carriages in total.

The third generation of rolling stock, Siemens Inspiro 30 three-car sets were delivered between 2016 and 2021 and exclusively serve the M3 line.

In July 2023, Škoda Transportation won a contract worth 65 million EUR, to deliver 8 four-car air-conditioned metro trains, replacing the current Metrowagonmash. The trains have been deployed on the lines 1, 2 and 4, with the first trains having entered service on May 26th 2026.

• 
  81-717/714
• 
  An 81-740/741 Rusich train at Serdika station
• 
  A Siemens Inspiro train on line 3 at NDK-2 station

Platform screen doors and rope screen doors

Line 1 and 4

On line 1 - (red) and line 4 - (yellow) on 12 stations (see below) are installed rope screen doors. The doors open vertically. The doors have 8 parts:

1. Entry sensor - detects when the train arrives at station.
2. RSD - The doors.
3. Platform control panel (PCP) - is placed on some of columns on the doors. The PCP box has two buttons - one red and green - used for manual operation of the doors.
4. Emergency opening of doors - on the back of the columns there is a box with three buttons - Red - close; Green - open; Yellow - emergency open. This device is used for emergency opening of the doors.
5. Train information panel - Controls the whole system.
6. Driver information display - Displays the status of the doors and if the trains is aligned correctly with the platform.
7. Laser sensor - Detects how close is the train to the stop point.
8. Exit sensor - Detects when the train departs from the station.

Stations that have these doors:

1. Slivnitsa - line 1 and 4
2. Lyulin - line 1 and 4
3. Zapaden Park - line 1 and 4
4. Vardar - line 1 and 4
5. K. Velichkov - line 1 and 4
6. Opalchenska - line 1 and 4
7. Serdica - line 1 and 4
8. Su. Sv. Kliment Ohridski - line 1 and 4
9. Vasil Levski Stadium - line 1 and 4
10. G.M. Dimitrov - line 1 and 4
11. Mladost 1 - line 1 and 4
12. IEC - Tsarigradsko Shose - line 4

Line 3

On line 3, there are installed platform screen doors at all stations. These doors open horizontally, unlike on lines 1 and 4.

Ridership

Sofia Metro ridership

Year	Passengers per day	Change	Stations
1998	10,000	N/A	5
1999	40,000	300.0	6
2000	70,000	75.0	7
2001	80,000	14.2
2002	90,000	12.5
2003	80,000	12.5	8
2004	75,000	6.6
2005	70,000	7.1
2006	80,000	14.2
2007	90,000	12.5
2008	76,000	15.6
2009	201,000	164.5	14
2010	187,000	7.0
2011	190,000	1.6	14
2012	350,000	84.2	27
2013	280,000	20.0
2014	320,000	14.3
2015	335,000	4.7	34
2016	350,000(estimated)	4.5	35
2017	350,000	0.0
2018
2019
2020	200,000 (estimated)	75.0	43
2021			47
2022	400,000	70.0	47
2023	380,000	23.7	47
2024	470,000	-	47
2025	470,000	17.2	47
2026	550,000	13	50

See also

• Trams in Sofia
• Trolleybuses in Sofia
• Public buses in Sofia
• Sofia Public Transport
• List of metro systems

External links

• Sofia Metro – Official Web Site
• MetroSofia.com (in English)
• Sofia metro @ urbanrail.net
• Sofia Metro – quick info and maps