site.btaEuropean Commission Invests EUR 293 Mln in Railway Connection

116 ECONOMY - EU - RAILWAY CONNECTION

European Commission Invests EUR 293 Mln
in Railway
Connection


Brussels, November 15 (BTA correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov) - The European Commission Thursday said it is investing over 293 million euro from the Cohesion Fund in a more modern, faster and safer railway connection between the cities of Plovdiv (South Central Bulgaria) and Bourgas (on the Black Sea).

The project will reduce travel time for both passenger and freight transport by 40 minutes, with trains reaching speeds between 130 and 160 km/h along the 293km stretch. This will make train rides competitive with road transport, promoting a cleaner mobility in the country. At the same time, a number of measures will improve safety on the line, thanks to new signalling and telecommunications systems and the replacement of the existing level crossings by 29 overpasses, a pedestrian bridge and an underpass.

The investment is contributing to the completion of the high-speed railway line on the Orient/East Med corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network, connecting Central and South-East Europe, said the European Commission. RY/DD




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