After years of underinvestment in rail transport, some of the new trains have now arrived in Bulgaria. At the same time, the responsibility of public institutions is not only to communicate good news, but also to identify the challenges that still need to be overcome. This was stated by Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev during a meeting with Petya Petkova, Alstom's representative for Bulgaria, and Roberto Saccone, Managing Director Services for Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova.
Minister Peev emphasized that even closer coordination is required in order to accelerate the upcoming procedures and ensure that the new trainsets enter passenger service safely and on schedule.
“By my order, an expanded team has been established, comprising representatives of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Executive Agency “Railway Administration”, the National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC), and Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ), to oversee the contracts for the delivery of new trains until their completion. Particular attention will also be paid to the protection of the rolling stock, as there have been numerous reports of vandalism, which must not be allowed to continue,” he further stated.
To date, two Alstom electric multiple unit (EMU) trains have been delivered to Bulgaria.
Petya Petkova, the company’s representative, announced that an audit of the test results is expected on 17 June, followed by an audit of the vehicle type in July, after which the certification process will take place. By 31 August, one train is expected to be fully registered, while the remaining units will already be in Bulgaria and will be accepted in stages.
The contractor plans to operate two maintenance facilities: one currently under construction in the Svetovrachane area, and an existing facility in the Plovdiv region.
With the delivery of the new trains under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the long-awaited renewal of the country’s ageing rolling stock is finally beginning, the Minister of Transport stressed.