site.btaIntermodal Terminal to be Built at Danubian City of Vidin

Intermodal Terminal to be Built at Danubian City of Vidin

Vidin, on the Danube, May 30 (BTA) - An intermodal terminal will be built in Vidin on an area of 34 ha, which once completed is expected to create between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs, Vidin Mayor Ognyan Tsenkov said in a BTA interview.

The work on the facility started at the beginning of 2015. Tsenkov said that the local administration hoped that the terminal would be ready by the end of 2016, but complex legal procedures prolong the process.

The Mayor said that there is interest in investung in Vidin but the absence of infrastructure with connected public utilities, storage space, lifting devices and other equipment proves a deterring factor.

Tsenkov said that the government is delivering on its commitment for target support to the Northwestern Region, which is the poorest region in the EU. Funding to the tune of 13 million leva will be made available for repair works of 35 km of the busy E79 motorway.

Vidin MP Vladimir Toshev told BTA that the construction of the intermodal terminal is seen as an opportunity to cope with the high unemployment and low incomes in the region. Toshev said that the terminal is to be ready after three years at the latest. Such a terminal will also be built in Bulgaria's other major Danube port, Rousse, in the eastern stretch of the river, he said.

Toshev dwelled on another important undertaking in the region - the development of the mineral waters in the area of Vidin and Slanotrun. He said that the water is remedial but with a high sulphur content which creates a risk for the drinking water. The MP said that a meeting was held attended by representatives of the local administration, geologists, engineers and doctors to find the best solution and to launch a procedure to award a concession for the mineral water. An investor is being sought to build a balneological facility, Toshev said, adding that preliminary estimates show that this would need 15 million euros.