The new modernized German wagons of the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) were presented by the official Minister of Transport and Communications, Georgi Gvozdeikov. The event took place at the Central Station - Sofia in the presence of the Ambassador of Germany to our country, Irene Maria Plank.
We are making maximum efforts for Bulgaria to catch up with the implementation of modern rail transport technology, said Gvozdeikov. According to him, Bulgaria has proven that it will not neglect this type of transport, dir.bg.
reportedWith the help of the German Embassy, we were able to complete this deal, which is the beginning of modernization and the rapid steps we need to catch up, the acting minister pointed out. According to him, there is a lot of work that needs to be done in order to fulfill the desired goals for the modernization of the Bulgarian railway transport. The important thing is that we have the motivation, we have the desire and we have the vision for Bulgaria to have modern railway transport in the near future, he added.
Bulgaria is working and absorbing funds under European programs with the aim of modernizing the railway infrastructure, said Gvozdeikov. He hopes that by 2027, Bulgarian trains will be able to develop a maximum speed of up to 160 km/h, as well as that all railway lines on these routes will be equipped with safety and traffic management systems.
"We have enough wagons", Gvozdeikov also said in response to a question about their availability at BDZ.
Last year we signed a contract for the supply of another 10 new locomotives, he recalled. The public procurement procedures are on schedule, assured Gvozdeikov.
The official minister said that tomorrow he will travel with the first composition of five wagons from Sofia to Burgas. The train that leaves at 6:15 a.m. should arrive in Burgas at 12:10 p.m. The carriages are equipped with an air conditioning system and sockets for charging mobile devices. We hope that the next batch of wagons will have a restaurant wagon, said the acting minister of transport.
When asked if he was afraid to travel by train after the series of incidents on the railways, Gvozdeikov denied it. According to him, repair works are being carried out on the road infrastructure and all trains in these sections are running with a restriction observed according to regulations.
Let's not stress society, said the caretaker minister.
When asked if there was a delay in the delivery of all the wagons, Gvozdeikov replied that the schedule was being followed. The next batch left last Thursday and should arrive in Bulgaria any moment, Gvozdeikov specified.
He recalled that he participated in the meeting of the Council of the European Union on transport, telecommunications and energy, "Transport" format, which took place in Luxembourg. According to him, all those present at the meeting unanimously believe that railway transport should be the backbone of the transport system throughout Europe. "Bulgaria is part of this railway initiative. This is the goal and direction of the development of transport", stressed Minister Gvozdeikov.
I hope that by 2026 Bulgaria will have modernized transport and citizens will only travel by train, said Ambassador Plank.
On June 18, BDZ announced that the new train from Sofia to Burgas will run every day until the end of the summer season. The composition will be made up of four air-conditioned saloon-type carriages and one carriage for the transport of citizens with reduced mobility, which will travel permanently as part of the train composition.
It will cover the distance between the capital and the seaside town in five hours and 55 minutes and will be the fastest moving train on this route according to the current capacity of the track. The train will run on the Sub-Balkan Railway and will stop at seven stations along its route – Poduyane travel, Kazichene, Karlovo, Kazanlak, Sliven, Zimnitsa and Karnobat.
On May 23 of this year the first 19 modernized passenger cars that BDZ bought from the German company "Deutsche Bahn" arrived in Bulgaria. The value of the entire project is slightly over BGN 30 million for 76 wagons, which makes BGN 400,000 for one wagon.