The railway depots in Sofia, Plovdiv, and Gorna Oryahovitsa will be the main bases for the daily maintenance and storage of the new 60 multiple unit trains from "Skoda" and "Alstom", which are expected to arrive in Bulgaria next year. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov during a visit to the BDZ–Passenger Services depots in Ruse, Gorna Oryahovitsa, and Mezdra.
"By the time the new trains are delivered, we must have secured reliable places for their storage and maintenance. Without modern operational bases, the new rolling stock will be exposed to the risk of faster depreciation and vandalism," Karadzhov stressed.
He recalled that the BDZ depots were built more than 60 years ago and have not been modernised since. In their current state, they do not meet the requirements for servicing the new electric multiple units. "Despite the outdated infrastructure, valuable experience and skills have been accumulated by the BDZ–Passenger Services staff, which will become the foundation for the new model of operational maintenance. The buildings and machinery are dilapidated, but the railway spirit is alive in the hearts and souls of the BDZ railwaymen," he added.
"The available sheds are too short, we do not have train washing machines, nor vacuum systems for cleaning the toilets, and there are less than six months left until the deliveries of the new multiple unit trains begin. Therefore, we must urgently start the repairs and expansion of the sheds, tailored to the dimensions and technological requirements of the new trains," the Deputy Prime Minister pointed out.
Karadzhov noted that he will insist that the 2026 budget provide funds not only for the three main depots – Sofia, Plovdiv, and Gorna Oryahovitsa – but also for five additional auxiliary operational points for servicing passenger trains at the end points of their routes – in Vidin, Ruse, Varna, Burgas, and Sofia.
"Without adequate conditions for the maintenance and preservation of the new rolling stock, we will waste an investment of almost two billion Levs. We must act immediately," Karadzhov was adamant.
