site.btaSocialists Urge Resignation of BDZ Management

Socialists Urge Resignation of  BDZ Management

Sofia, August 1 (BTA) - The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) on Monday warned about the suspension of over 70 train services and urged for the resignation of the management of the national BDZ rail carrier. At a news conference the BSP demanded that a prompt selection was opened for the appointment of a new management "without football aspirations".

BDZ chief auditor Ivo Lenkov said that on July 27 BDZ suspended 70 train services due to the lack of roadworthy locomotives. He said that of 50 Siemens trains, 17 had also been grounded but that at the same time the company was sponsoring a football team.

Left MP Georgi Svilenski said that the suspended trains were local and regional, carrying mainly commuters and serving a social function. According to him, this was a breach of the contract between the state and BDZ, while the state continued to pay subsidies for these services.

Although the BDZ management said that the trains will be suspended temporarily, Svilenski recalled that under GERB's first government 140 train services which had been suspended temporarily were never restored.

Svilenski said that by the beginning of 2009 BDZ carried 32 million passengers annually while at the beginning of 2015 they went down by 30 per cent or 10 million fewer. He estimated that the number of passengers is expected to drop by further 15-20 per cent.

Svilenski said that while services are being suspended the BDZ management has appointed football players with a monthly payment of over 1,500 leva, while by comparison a train driver receives an average salary of 600 leva.