site.btaBulgaria Open to Future Skoda Train Deliveries but Expects Technical Problems to Be Resolved

Bulgaria is interested in continuing its cooperation with Skoda Group on future deliveries of new trains, but expects the Czech company to resolve the problems with the trainsets already delivered as quickly as possible, Bulgarian Transport and Communications Minister Georgi Peev said in Sofia on Wednesday during a meeting with the company's CEO, Petr Novotny, as quoted by the ministry's press centre.

Senior executives of Skoda Group are on the delegation accompanying Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis during his visit to Bulgaria.

Peev stressed that Bulgaria appreciates the fact that the Czech manufacturer fulfilled its commitment to produce and deliver the new rolling stock on time. According to him, this enabled Bulgaria to meet its commitments under its Recovery and Resilience Plan.

"At the same time, technical reliability is our top priority. Every morning I receive a report on the condition of the rolling stock. At present, six of the Skoda trains that have entered service are not operating according to schedule due to technical problems. This is an issue that needs to be resolved quickly," Peev said.

Peev expressed a desire for Bulgaria's railway rolling stock to be renewed over the next 5-10 years, saying that cooperation with Skoda Group can continue provided high standards of quality and reliability are maintained.

Twenty new Skoda trains began operating on Bulgaria's railway network on August 20. The contract for the delivery of the 20 trainsets was signed in September 2024.