Transport

A railway reform is needed, albeit very late, to prevent more incidents like the one that happened yesterday. This is what Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov said when taking over the government from the outgoing minister Krasimira Stoyanova.

He stressed that he has been connected with the sector for years and has a deep knowledge of the processes. ‘This is the second time I have become part of the team of the Ministry of Transport and Communications and some of my best years have been spent there,’ the new minister said.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications has announced a procedure to build charging infrastructure for electric vehicles on the roads. It provides support to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to build an infrastructure network for alternative fuels. 

For the first time Bulgaria is hosting one of the most prestigious international aviation forums and this means a lot for our country and for the sector. This was stated by the Minister of Transport and Communications Krasimira Stoyanova at the opening of Aviation Event 2024 SOF. 

"Aviation is the sector that shows that the model of cooperation between the state and the private sector is effective. This is proven once again by the concession of the airports in Sofia, Burgas and Varna", added Minister Stoyanova. 

The Department for Transport and Communications is committed to achieving an efficient transport system that combines all modes of transport in a balanced way. This was stated by Deputy Minister Zhivko Petrov at the opening of a thematic day "Urbanization, Transport and Tourism" in the Bulgarian pavilion within the framework of the COP 29 Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The contract for the delivery of new trains is a significant step in the development of the national railway and rail transport in general. This was stated by the Minister of Transport and Communications Krasimira Stoyanova after signing today a contract for the delivery of 20 electric multiple unit trains with the consortium "Škoda Transportation and Škoda Vagonka". Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev attended the ceremony in the Granite Hall of the Council of Ministers. 

On the initiative of the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov a meeting was held between more than 10 institutions related to the problems of the transport industry.

The Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov asked for the resignations of the Director General and the Chairman of the Board of National Railway Infrastructure Company.  The reason is the low safety control and the increased number of accidents on the railway infrastructure. The last case was yesterday in the section Mirkovo - Dolno Kamartsi, where 5 wagons went off the tracks. Initial information indicates that it is a matter of poor condition of the railway infrastructure. An investigation is pending to determine the causes.

Joint action to stop access of overloaded trucks to ports on the Danube and the Black Sea. This was discussed at a meeting of the Deputy Ministers of Transport and Communications Anna Natova and Dimitar Nedyalkov with representatives of the state and private port operators in the country. The aim of the measures is to improve road safety and protect transport infrastructure, said Deputy Minister Anna Natova.

We have successfully finalised the negotiations and have now selected a contractor for the delivery of 35 electric multiple unit trains. This was announced by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov during the Green Transition Forum 4.0. The rolling stock will be purchased with Recovery and Sustainability Plan funds. The Polish company Stadler Polska Sp. z o.o. was chosen as the contractor. The proposed price is BGN 642.5 million and the delivery period is 28 months. 

Hydrogen electric transport can have accelerated development with strong institutional support. This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Dimitar Nedyalkov at a round table organized by the Bulgarian Association for Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Energy Storage. The Ministry of Transport and Communications hosted the event, which is part of the Hydrogen Electromobility Days programme. 

The Director of the Civil Aviation Administration, Anelia Marinova, is the first Bulgarian representative to join the leadership of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The institution ensures the safety and environmental protection of the civil aviation sector in Europe. One of its goals is to make the transition to greener aviation. The Board is responsible for setting the agency's priorities, setting the budget, overseeing licensing and preparing amendments to the regulatory framework. 

Nearly BGN 3 billion have been invested in infrastructure projects under the Operational Programme on Transport and Transport Infrastructure 2014—2020. This was announced by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov at the final information event on the achievements of the transport programme. The Minister stressed that thanks to the European co-financing Bulgaria has been implementing projects for 18 years, which put the country on the map of Europe in a new way.

National Railway Infrastructure Company is going to significantly upgrade the mechanisation for the maintenance of the railway with the aim to reduce the time for the restoration of traffic in emergency situations. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Biser Minchev at a seminar on technical innovations in rail transport, organized by Plasser & Theurer.

The Bulgarian Maritime Training Centre now has up-to-date equipment for the practical training of seafarers in firefighting. So far, such a system has not been used in Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula. Its presentation today in Varna was attended by the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Anna Mihneva-Natova.

The important tasks for the rest of the year are the finalisation of the procurement of new rolling stock funded under the Recovery and Resilience Plan and the construction of three operational bases for air ambulance. This was stated by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov during the government's report today in the Council of Ministers, where the ministers presented their top priorities for the next nine months.

‘A few days before Sofia Airport becomes an open door to the Schengen area, an automatic boarding pass checking system is introduced. This is very important in view of the approaching holidays and the summer season, when the number of travellers is growing,’ Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Anna Mihneva-Natova said at the opening of the new smart counters at Terminal 2.

Bulgaria and Romania prepared a joint project to improve navigation on the Danube. The FAST Danube 2 project, which was submitted today for funding from the Connecting Europe Facility, foresees the implementation of engineering measures in the common section of the river that will improve navigation conditions and traffic safety.

The salaries of BDZ and NRIC employees will be increased from 1 January 2024. For the employees of NRIC and BDZ-Passenger Transport the increase is 19.6%, while for the employees of BDZ-Freight Transport it will be 10% from January 2024 and another 9.6% from April 2024. This is made possible with additional funds provided in the Budget 2024.

From the beginning of 2027, the residents of four more districts will have a convenient and fast connection to the metro, and the construction of this section will relieve traffic in one of the busiest directions in Sofia. This was announced by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov at the launch of the project for the extension of the third line of the Sofia metro.

In planning investments under the Transport Connectivity Programme 2021-2027, a balance will be sought between North and South Bulgaria. This became clear during a meeting between the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov and Agnes Monfre, Head of Unit "Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovenia" at DG Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission. They discussed the projects set for funding under the 2021-2027 TCP.