The first 19 modernized passenger cars that the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) bought from the German company Deutsche Bahn arrived in here on Thursday. They are expected to be put into operation on the country's railway network by mid-June, the press office of the Ministry of Transport and Communications said.
"This deal, which we made with the assistance of the German Embassy, is the first important step towards the modernization of rail transport," Minister Gvozdeykov said upon the arrival of the wagons. He explained that they will run on the longest routes in the country between Sofia and Burgas, and Sofia and Varna, and each train will have a restaurant car.
The cost of the entire project is just over BGN 30 million for 76 carriages, or BGN 400,000 per carriage. "It is much more expensive for BDZ to renovate one wagon from its existing fleet. But the most important thing is that with the money invested in the repair of such a wagon, we cannot achieve the quality of rolling stock that comes from Germany," Gvozdeykov added.
BDZ said it expects the remaining 57 wagons to be delivered in June so that they can be put into service for the upcoming summer season.
Each of the carriages has 80 seats, a maximum running speed of up to 200 km/h and meets all modern comfort standards. The rolling stock has no compartments, it is an open space equipped with an air-conditioning system and an information system to notify passengers about the stations and stops along the train route. Six of the carriages are adapted for the disabled and all 76 carriages have ergonomic seats. They also have sockets for charging mobile phones and individual reading lights above each seat, the release said.
/RY/
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