site.btaRhodope Narrow Gauge Railway to Add Special Wagons for Bicycles and Ski Equipment

Starting November 4, two new wagons for the transport of bicycles and ski equipment will run every Saturday and Sunday with the trains of Rhodope narrow gouge railway, on the Septemvri - Dobrinishte - Septemvri line, Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) said on Wednesday.

The wagons are converted mail carriages, with special lockable racks built in for bikes and ski gear to keep them locked in place. Two such wagons are currently are ready, and within the next year, one more wagon will be completed and adapted for the transport of persons with reduced mobility.

The specialized carriages will be available for all trains on the narrow-gauge route after the transport of a minimum of four bicycles or ski equipment has been requested in advance and no later than seven days before the date of travel. The price for transporting one bicycle is BGN 2, which is paid at the ticket offices when purchasing the train ticket.

The construction of the Septemvri-Dobrinishte narrow-gauge line began in 1921 at the insistence of the Bulgarian Army and the Ministry of Forestry for the purpose of defence of these remote and recently-liberated Bulgarian territories, as well as for the needs of logging, according to information from BDZ.