Ongoing Repairs and Heavy Snowfall Affect Sofia's Heating and Transportation Services

Heating has been restored in Sofia's "Lozenets" and "Hladilnika" districts, as announced by "Toplofikatsiya Sofia" on its official website. The restoration follows a significant disruption caused by a major pipeline accident last week, which resulted in the suspension of heating and hot water in several areas of the capital.

The company explained that the delay in restoring the heat supply was due to a series of issues encountered during the repair work, including numerous local leaks that had to be addressed. These complications extended the timeline, as the process of draining and refilling the extensive damaged sections of the pipeline increased the risk of further breakdowns.

Initially, the company had hoped to restore heating by noon on February 16, but the ongoing repairs caused delays, particularly in the "Dianabad," "Hladilnika," and "Lozenets" neighborhoods. Although heating has now been restored, there are still some unresolved issues in certain areas. Currently, there are problems with heat supply in parts of the "Mladost" residential district (between blocks 62 and 63, near kindergarten 189), sections of "Lozenets" (on "Bryast" Street 1-20 and "Sveta Gora" Street 20, 24), and parts of the city center (on "Oborishte" Street 100 and 102).

Due to the ongoing heavy snowfall in Sofia, snow removal and anti-icing treatments are continuing across the city. Currently, 170 snow removal vehicles are active, focusing on clearing and treating key streets and boulevards, especially those with public transport routes, the Southern Ring Road, steep areas, and bridges. Some neighborhood streets are also being treated.

Snow removal efforts are underway on municipal roads in the Kremikovtsi, Pancharevo, Novi Iskar, and Bankya districts, where roads remain passable despite the winter conditions. In the Vitosha Nature Park, treatments with sand and snow removal are being conducted on two roads: the Zlatnite Mostove area in the Boyana district and the Aleko hut area in the Dragalevtsi district.

Public transportation continues to operate under winter conditions, though bus services to Vitosha have been temporarily suspended due to heavy snow. Bus lines 61, 63, and 66 are not running, and the routes of lines 49 (which goes to the village of Klisura) and 107 (to Boyansko Hanche) have been shortened.

Snow removal operations are being overseen by the Sofia Inspectorate, while teams from the Emergency Assistance and Prevention Directorate are conducting regular patrols to monitor the situation. Drivers are advised to use winter-equipped vehicles, drive cautiously, and adjust their speed to the weather conditions.

Sources:

• BNT
• Sofia Municipality