I am not a person who belittles or hides problems in any area. On the contrary - I believe that they should be regularly publicized and resolved in a timely manner. That is why I react to all criticism - both in the media, on social networks, and in personal conversations. But I cannot agree to “discover“ a problem where there is none. I do not agree to insult railway workers, exactly when they are doing their job conscientiously! This is what Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Grozdan Karadjov wrote on Facebook and added:
In this case, we are talking about BDZ and the air conditioners in the fast trains to the sea. Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, there was no problem with any of them in any train! This was confirmed by the passengers who wrote to me, by the management of the Bulgarian Railways and by the Deputy Minister of Transport, who traveled on the trains, and by the railway staff who serviced the carriages.
That is why I was extremely unpleasantly surprised by a report on one of the television stations, in which even this small achievement on our part was presented in a critical light - the reporter's home thermometer showed 30 degrees, which means the air conditioners were not working properly. Moreover, the passengers themselves in the report did not support her thesis.
Of course, every media outlet has the full right to show whatever and however it decides. But still, the facts matter. The Bulgarian Railways has enough problems for us to invent new ones for them. People who work on the railways make incredible efforts to provide citizens with a comfortable journey, despite the old trains, the worn-out infrastructure, the difficult working conditions and the miserably low pay. And they deserve respect and gratitude when they manage to do so.
I cannot guarantee that fast trains will always be punctual and comfortable. It is clear to everyone why. But I will not stop making efforts to make this an everyday occurrence, not an exception.
That is why I have created working groups to solve the most pressing problems.
That is why we are buying new trains and modernizing the railway lines.
That is why I am making efforts to improve the working conditions of railway workers.
That is why one of my advisors in the political office is specifically tasked with the task of summarizing and informing me every day about the signals and complaints on the hotline, via emails and on social networks.
However, all this requires time to yield results.
Criticism is healthy when it is objective, when it is based on facts.
Only in this way will we make our railways a modern, convenient and popular way of transportation.