site.btaBulgaria Experiences Unprecedented Shortage of Trains, Transport Minister Karadjov Says

Bulgaria has a severe shortage of multiple unit trains and motorized carriages, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov said during Question Time in Parliament on Friday.

Passengers are currently being transported by air-conditioned buses on the least busy routes with short destinations, exactly because of the lack of sufficient trains, Karadjov added.

This is the result of the legacy left by the previous management, Karadjov said. Some of the trains will be directed to the busiest routes, which will provide only slight relief for rail passengers, he said from the parliamentary rostrum.

Karadjov responded to a series of questions from MPs related to the quality and safety of passenger rail transport in Bulgaria. 

He cited the lack of sufficient carriages as the main reason for issues with the sale of Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) tickets, which led to problems with seat allocation and passenger accommodation in the carriages. He said the solution to this problem is the purchase of enough new trains.

BDZ Passenger Transport is gradually deploying mobile devices to issue travel documents to passengers on trains and to validate documents issued at stations, stops, and online. Most transportation services are already equipped with mobile devices, streamlining the issuance and verification of travel documents on trains by making the process easier, more convenient, and faster.

On the topic of the liberalization of public rail transport in Bulgaria, Karadjov recalled that a public debate on this reform is already underway, involving licensed operators, trade unions, the scientific community, the non-governmental sector, and railway workers. 

"Competition has been legally permitted in Bulgaria for six years. However, no new private operators have entered the market to offer services to additional destinations on a commercial basis. For this reason, the European Commission, following Bulgaria’s proposal, has added an extra measure to the Recovery and Resilience Plan. Specifically, this allows portions of currently subsidized routes to be allocated to operators interested in receiving subsidies and running regular services. As a result, private operators can introduce new destinations with new trains and services on a commercial basis," Karadjov added. He emphasized that the goal is to encourage several operators to start on a smaller regional scale.

Karadjov added that during the summer season temperature restrictions on speed will be introduced. "To maintain rail transport safety during high temperatures, regulations require speed limits of 40 to 60 km/h, depending on the track type," Karadjov explained.