News

On 15 January 2025, the Republic of Bulgaria proposed to the Republic of North Macedonia a Draft Intergovernmental Agreement for the preparation and construction of a cross-border railway tunnel facility connecting the railway network of the two countries. 

This is the only open issue between the two countries in the field of rail transport, which, however, does not only have bilateral significance, but constitutes an important element of NATO's collective security architecture and connectivity between EU Member States.

Bulgaria is completely ready and willing to sign an agreement with the Republic of North Macedonia and to start digging the cross-border railway tunnel as soon as possible. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr. Grozdan Karadjov said that at a working breakfast with Ambassadors of the EU and NATO member states in Bulgaria on the country's progress in the construction of Corridor 8.

Eight proposals have been submitted under the procedure for the large-scale deployment of digital infrastructure, funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). The total value of the project is BGN 468,857,652, and the deadline for submitting bids expired on Friday. 

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications, Grozdan Karadjov, ordered BDZ-Passenger Transport to refund the ticket costs for all standing passengers who had reserved seats on the Sofia - Varna train, which departed on 28 March 2025 at 10:21 A.M. The Deputy Prime Minister announced this via a post on his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/KaradjovGrozdan).

The second bridge over the Danube River at Ruse-Giurgiu is among the strategic infrastructure projects for Bulgaria. This was emphasised by the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, Dimitar Nedyalkov, during a discussion organised by the "G.S. Rakovski" Military Academy on the topic "Enhancing National Resilience: Progress, Challenges and the Way Forward". The event was held in partnership with the US Institute for Security Governance (ISG) and  coordinated by the Security Council Secretariat at the Council of Ministers. 

A major restructuring of BDZ-Cargo Transport is set to begin, including cost reductions and an analysis of all freight transport tariffs. This was announced by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications, Grozdan Karadjov, during a meeting with Plamen Dimitrov, President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), representatives of the trade union and the management teams of Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) and the National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC). 

The Ministry of Transport and Communications will receive over BGN 154 million in grant aid for the purchase of five new zero-emission electric multiple-unit trains. Each train will comprise four carriages, with a minimum seating capacity of 300, capable of operating at speeds of up to 160 km/h, and will come with a 15-year maintenance agreement. 

The preparation of "Bulgarian Posts" employees for their social role in the exchange of levs into euros, as well as the possibilities for digital training of the staff at the state-owned company, were discussed today during a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications, Grozdan Karadjov, and the President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), Plamen Dimitrov. Plans for the future logistics are already being coordinated with the Bulgarian National Bank.

The development of a new law to unite the railway and road passenger transport into a single system is in an advanced stage. This was announced by Dimitar Nedyalkov, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, during a discussion on “Bulgaria towards accessible, competitive and sustainable mobility.” The event was attended by Irene Plank, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bulgaria. The forum was organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria and the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications is launching a procedure to support intermodal operators and the development of existing terminals. The total value of the funding is BGN 34.5 million, provided by the Transport Connectivity Programme 2021-2027. The deadline for the submission of project proposals is 26.09.2025.

The East to West Connections project was officially launched today in Burgas. During the ceremony, Angel Zaburtov, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, stated that the implementation of the project highlights the successful partnership between the state and the private sector. “With our joint efforts, we will achieve economic growth and strategic strengthening of Burgas as a key transport hub on the world map,” he added.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications will host a ministerial conference to accelerate transport connectivity projects along the North-South axis. This was discussed by Grozdan Karadzhov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications, and Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism. The discussion took place within the framework of the informal meeting of transport ministers of the European Union, which is being held today in Poland. 

Slav Monov has been appointed Executive Director of the Road Transport Administration Executive Agency, replacing Damyan Voynovski. He has over 22 years of experience in the road transport sector. From 2012 to 2024, he was Executive Director of Stolichen avtotransport EAD and a member of the Board of Directors of the same. Prior to that, he held various positions within private companies, related to the field of transport and logistics.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications has not postponed the construction of the railway line to the Republic of North Macedonia

80% of railway incidents are due to subjective factors and weak control.

Cameras will be installed in every locomotive, railcar, and railway station.

Additional functionality will be added to the GPS train speed control system, notifying carriers and train dispatchers of speeding. Mobile GSM operators will be required to increase transmitter coverage in areas with weak signal.

These are some of the short-term measures to be implemented within 6 months to improve railway transport safety.

For three years, no solution has been found for the construction of the longest railway tunnel in Bulgaria – the one near Vakarel. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov during an inspection of the three sections of the Elin Pelin – Kostenets railway line. The Chairman of the Transport and Communications Committee in the National Assembly, Kiril Dobrev, also participated in the inspection.

The extension of the corridor from Greece to Bulgaria will ease traffic to Romania. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov at a Bulgarian-Greek business forum held today in Sofia.

Road safety brought together four ministers, deputy ministers, and three agencies involved in the topic.

Seven cars were stopped from operation for carrying out unregulated passenger transport. The enhanced, comprehensive control is being conducted jointly by employees of the Ministry of the Interior, the Executive Agency "Road Administration," and the National Revenue Agency, as ordered by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. The checks will continue indefinitely in various regions of the country and at border crossing points.

Within 6 months the name of Sofia Airport will be reflected in international aviation registers