site.btaBDZ Expects Rolling Stock Shortage to Be Overcome with Arrival of New Multiple-Unit Trains under Recovery Plan

Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) expects the shortage of rolling stock to be overcome once the new multiple-unit trains purchased under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan arrive, BDZ Executive Director Martin Angelov said in Karlovo, Central Bulgaria, on Wednesday.

At present, the company is still using older Czech locomotives, Angelov noted, adding that the new multiple-unit trains are expected to start arriving at the end of March.

Earlier in the day, Angelov presented the newest delivered Smartron locomotive, named after Bulgarian revolutionary Vasil Levski, at the railway station in Karlovo.

"Since 2021, we have signed two contracts that have been implemented in stages with the Siemens Tron Consortium, which supplies these locomotives. The locomotives are of the latest generation, energy-efficient and of high operational quality. They guarantee that with new equipment we will not face the disruptions to train schedules that occur when older rolling stock breaks down," the BDZ Executive Director said.

The locomotive has been insured and will be able to begin operating as early as March 5. According to Angelov, the advantages of this locomotive model are that it is cheaper, lighter and more energy-efficient. It is designed to reach speeds of up to 160 km/h.

The locomotive bearing the name of Vasil Levski is the last delivered under a contract between BDZ and the Siemens Tron Consortium for the production, delivery and warranty maintenance of 10 electric locomotives. With this delivery, the total number of Smartron locomotives in the fleet of the national railway operator now reaches 25.

The initiative envisages that the ten new locomotives will carry the names of figures from the Bulgarian National Revival. Angelov said that six of the ten locomotives are intended for private railway operators, with three serving the northern lot and the other three the southern lot.