site.btaContract on Delivery of 35 New Electric Trains to Be Signed Between Transport Ministry, Consortium BUL20EMU

Deputy Prime Minister and Transport and Communications Minister Grozdan Karadjov will sign a contract on the delivery of 35 electric multiple unit trains on Friday. The investment tops BGN 1 billion, the government information service said.

The signing will be attended by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, Deputy Prime Minister and Innovation and Growth Minister Tomislav Donchev, and Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova. The contracting parties are the Transport Ministry and the consortium BUL20EMU (Alstom Transport SA, Romania, Alstom Ferroviaria SpA and RVP Invest).

The Council of Ministers authorized Karadjov to sign the contract on April 23.

The project is part of investments under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). In order to absorb to the maximum of resources under the NRRP and to minimize state budget expenditures, the sides will also sign an additional agreement approved by the European Commission, specifying that 12 of the trains, worth BGN 363,314,981, will be funded under the NRRP. The remaining 23 trains, worth BGN 696,400,000, will be included in the Social Climate Plan of Bulgaria.

Under the government's decision, the Council of Ministers provides BGN 278,600,000 in an interest-free loan to the Transport Ministry for an advance payment under the contract.