I urgently called today's meeting with the management of the National Railway Infrastructure Company, Holding BDZ EAD, Railway Administration Executive Agency and the National Accident Investigation Board with a single topic and that is a critical analysis and assessment of the safety system in railway transport in Bulgaria. This was explained by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov at a briefing today at the ministry.
‘The task I have set for the railway companies is to prevent any more accidents in the railway transport. What we discussed were the gaps that we find in the safety system and how they can be filled as quickly and efficiently as possible so that Bulgarian citizens can travel safely and freight can be transported safely,’ Deputy Prime Minister Karadzhov explained.
‘The conclusion, from what was reported to me, is that in addition to the procedures and rules currently in place, there should be a secondary control system wherever human error is possible. There should be a system that presses the stop button whether the person has voluntarily or involuntarily made a mistake,’ the Minister of Transport said. ‘I have instructed the companies to analyse the weaknesses in the safety system by the end of the week and suggest concrete measures so that no more accidents happen. This includes urgent measures that will be implemented immediately and longer-term measures that require more serious preparation and funding. These include, for example, new software systems to equip rolling stock and the rail network in order to prevent accidents,’ the Deputy Prime Minister added.
