The Bulgarian State is actively working to include Corridor VIII in the priority European Transport Network. The direction Sofia - Skopie - Durres - Tirana should be defined as part of the European corridor "Western Balkans". This became clear from the speech of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Alexiev at a meeting of the Ministers of Transport of the EU in Prague. In his words, the establishment of a strategic link between the North-South infrastructure axis, which is supported by the "Three Seas" initiative, and Corridor VIII, is of great importance for the region between the Black and Adriatic Seas.
The main topics of the discussions between the Ministers were the development of high-speed railway lines, international connectivity and the challenges facing European railway transport.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexiev pointed out that there was no guaranteed financing for the expansion of the Trans-European Transport Network. "Our expectations are that by the end of 2030, nearly 835 km of railway lines from the main railway network will be modernized, which represents only 47.7% of its entire linear length on the territory of Bulgaria. The necessary investments for the main network alone, without its maintenance, are over BGN 15 billion. This resource far exceeds the funding for railway infrastructure from the European funds for the period until 2027 and is practically unsustainable for the national budget", he explained.
As part of the discussions on the impact of the energy crisis in railway transport, Hristo Alexiev presented the national measures that have been taken. They cover compensation by the State of railway carriers, through electricity traders; reducing technology costs and infrastructure fees by 50%.
During the forum in Prague, Deputy Prime Minister Hristo Alexiev held a meeting with the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport of Greece Konstantinos Karamanlis. The main topic was the acceleration of the railway corridor project "Thessaloniki - Kavala - Alexandroupolis - Burgas - Varna - Ruse". The two Ministers agreed on a recent meeting of the bilateral working group on this strategic intermodal project.
Hristo Alexiev and Konstantinos Karamanlis were adamant that the Corridor will improve transport, economic and energy connectivity not only between Bulgaria and Greece, but also in the entire region. It will connect the Aegean with the Black Sea and the Danube. The Corridor will provide connectivity to the floating liquefied gas terminal in Alexandroupolis, in which Bulgaria has a 20% stake. The facility is located near the important Komotini energy hub.
