site.btaPassenger Train Services Closed This Week Will Be Reopened

Passenger Train Services Closed This Week Will Be Reopened


Sofia, January 16 (BTA) - Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) will
stop closing passenger train services, and those closed earlier
this week will be reopened, after the Council of Ministers
adopts a decree to this effect on January 21, the Confederation
of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) said on Friday.
Under the future decree, a 40 million leva capital transfer from
the national budget to BDZ will be transformed into a subsidy.

On Monday, BDZ reduced the number of trains operating in various
parts of the country, because the annual subsidy for public
transport services had been reduced by 40 million leva, and
because the company decided that it did not have enough rolling
stock.

An agreement to stop the train reductions was reached on Friday
between the CITUB leadership, Transport Minister Ivaylo
Moskovski and Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov, CITUB said.

BDZ was planning to remove another 90 passenger trains on
February 1. The reversal of the decision is expected to
alleviate tensions among BDZ workers and passengers.