Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Ivaylo Moskovski inspected the construction of the railway sites in the town of Svilengrad. They visited the bridge over the Maritsa River, the passenger train station in Svilengrad and the facilities under construction at the cargo railway station in Svilengrad.

"The bridge over the Maritsa River is a unique facility in its vision and construction", said Ivaylo Moskovski. It was fully completed in 2012 within the project "Electrification and reconstruction of the railway line Svilengrad – the Turkish border", the first complete railway project funded under the Operational Program "Transport" 2007 – 2013. The state-of-the-art overhead lines above the bridge are compatible with the lines in Greece and Turkey.

During the inspection Prime Minister Borissov and Minister Moskovski inspected the passenger railway station in Svilengrad, where the contractors reported on the current progress of the construction works on the track expansion. The physical implementation of Lot 1 "Parvomai - Svilengrad" is 73 % at that time. The contractor promised that all efforts will be engaged during in the upcoming summer months to construct all the facilities so as to complete the project in time. Minister Moskovski was adamant that he would not allow any extension of the final deadline for project completion.

Minister Moskovski noted that construction works are in progress along the entire route except for the region of the town of Simeonovgrad, where there is a delay in expropriation procedures. "I have made arrangements with “Bulgarian Posts" EAD to assist in contacting the owners of the lands that are within the scope of the project", he said and added that provided this part of the track is not built until the end of the year, it will be transferred for financing under OP "Transport and transport infrastructure" 2014-2020.

During the inspection the Prime Minister and the Transport Minister visited the new cargo station, which is under construction in compliance with all Schengen requirements. A specialized mobile crane for cargo trains will be constructed and will be used for the purposes of the Chief Directorate "Border Police" and the Customs Agency. During the visit the Prime Minister said that he expected that following the construction of the facility the Customs Agency would significantly increase its revenue and fee collection.

The joint inspection of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Minister Ivaylo Moskovski is part of the government's measures to strengthen the control of the implementation of infrastructure projects funded by the EU. A week ago when Minister Moskovski visited Svilengrad again, he announced that he would carry out regular inspections of all projects until their completion.