There is hardly a day when friends and strangers do not bombard me with complaints and criticisms about BDZ. And there is nothing strange in that. Traveling by train can be fast, cheap, comfortable and environmentally friendly. It can! But not in Bulgaria. Not yet.
This is what the Minister of Transport Grozdan Karadjov wrote on his personal Facebook page. Here is what else he shared:
"The problems are clear and long-standing. They were also seen during my trip from Mezdra to Sofia on the fast train departing from Varna. My impressions are mixed - there are positive things, there are unnerving, there are infuriating. The good news is that the train was full and most of the passengers I spoke to prefer this type of travel. It's a good thing there were no standing passengers.
The problem was that one of the carriages, apparently added at the last minute due to the great interest, is one of the oldest, with compartments. These carriages should have been scrapped or at least modernized a long time ago, but alas, due to the shortage of rolling stock, they are still in use.
The good news is that the other carriages were the “new” ones - bought second-hand from “Deutsche Bahn”, which, although 22 years old, are still in relatively good condition - decent seats, toilets, tinted windows, etc.
The problem was that only one of these four carriages had a properly working air conditioner. In two of the carriages there was some imitation of cooling, and in the penultimate one it was a suffocating mess.
That's why the cleanliness of the floor was constant – under any criticism from the first to the last carriage. And all the fair criticism from the passengers is unfairly poured onto the train crew, who in this case are not at fault, but are the only ones in direct contact with the dissatisfied.
The good news is that the train arrived almost on time – only 9 minutes late, for which there is a logical explanation – one of the sections is undergoing repairs and to pass a red traffic light you need to stop and obtain a special document. Compromises with this requirement are no longer made and this was confirmed by my order after the head-on collision of two trains the day before I took office. Passenger safety is always a priority!
The problem is that 7 and a half hours for a trip from Varna to Sofia is still too much and the time can hardly be significantly reduced.
The problem is that there is no WiFi on the train (there is none anywhere on BDZ), nor a bistro or restaurant car, which is absurd in our time.
The good news is that there is no problem with buying tickets - both online and from vending machines at stations, in Bulgarian and English. I bought my ticket easily and conveniently both online and from a vending machine. And that the mobile version of the BDZ website works perfectly, showing where the train is and how much the delay is, if any.
The problem is that if you miss your train due to BDZ's fault, you will have to specially go through the ticket offices at the station to have your ticket revalidated. Otherwise, you risk being fined.
The tragic state of the stations is also a problem. Mezdra Station is a key station, but there is not even a toilet for passengers there. Or rather, there is something with such an inscription, which, thank God, is locked, given its appearance. Sofia-Sever Station is in more or less the same condition.
That is why I have ordered a few things today:
1. All trains to be brought into an adequate condition for travel - the floors to be cleaned, the windows washed, any stains - removed. There is money for this, there are people who receive salaries to take care of cleanliness.
2. There should be a BDZ employee on every long-distance train who is responsible for the condition of the carriages before the train sets off. At least one hour before the train departs, impeccable cleanliness must be ensured, including the operation of the air conditioners, liquid soap in the toilets, paper, etc.
3. There must be a steward who is responsible for cleanliness during the trip and ensures that the interior does not get dirty, scratched or damaged. BDZ employs enough people to be able to allocate personnel for this.
4. There must be a bistro attached to each fast long-distance train. Currently, BDZ has 10 such carriages, which are sufficient to cover these lines.
5. All air conditioners in trains with carriages equipped with such must work normally. Moreover, the windows on this type of carriages do not open. The fact is that there is another problem - the newly purchased old carriages need modification in order to work in our country. But it is also a fact that air conditioners often do not work simply because they are not charged with freon.
6. As we did with the bypass of the Sofia-Burgas line, sections will be identified on the Sofia-Varna line where the train speed is unnecessarily reduced, so that we can shorten the travel time. I am glad that with the train drivers, who have been traveling on these lines for years, we have a consensus on where and what can be done.
7. NRIC must give me by the end of the week a list of the stations that have not been renovated in the last 20 years, in order to see where, what and when can be done to improve the situation. We cannot expect quick results here, due to a lack of funding, but it has to start at some point.
I know that many will accuse me of populism and there will be many sarcastic remarks like “the minister inaugurates the train“.
But I also know that every day I hear excuses about how nothing can be done now and immediately, how huge investments are needed, how it is just the way it is in principle and passengers have almost resigned themselves to the nightmare journeys.
The fact is that some of the arguments are well-founded – BDZ has not really been invested in for decades and replacing the trains will take time.
But it is also a fact that there are problems that can be fixed quickly, without much effort, and there is money for them. And no matter how small they are, they will significantly improve the comfort of passengers.
For me, direct contact with railway employees who are on the front line - drivers, conductors, etc. is also of great importance.
This will not be my last train trip. The next one will be on a suburban passenger train. The situation there is even more tragic, but we will also act quickly and within the maximum possible limits. Because whining and sarcasm will not improve the situation.
And finally, the most important thing! I offer my sincere apologies to all BDZ passengers for the conditions in which they travel on Bulgarian trains! Apologies also to the ordinary railway workers, who, despite conscientiously fulfilling their duties, endure the justified criticism of travelers!".