site.bta 33 Closed Passenger Train Services to Be Resumed from February

33 Closed Passenger Train Services to Be Resumed from February


Sofia, January 22 (BTA) - The management of Bulgarian State
Railways (BDZ) passenger train services has revised the
timetable of the 38 stopped trains by order of Transport,
Information Technology and Communications Minister Ivaylo
Moskovski, his ministry said Thursday.

The national railway transport company will resume passenger
railway services of 33 trains, including 30 which will cover
their original routes and three - a part of that. Eight of the
ten trains stopped along part of their route will resume
operations and just five trains will not operate for technical
reasons and following agreement with local authorities.

The trains will be included in the traffic timetable as of
February 1, 2015.

On January 12, BDZ decided to reduce the number of trains
operating in various parts of the country by 38 and to change
the route of another ten in part, 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. This move was followed by mass protests. On
January 16, an agreement to stop the train reductions was
reached between the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in
Bulgaria, Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski and Finance
Minister Vladislav Goranov. On January 21, the Council of
Ministers passed a decree for a 40 million leva capital transfer
from the national budget to BDZ which will be transformed into
a subsidy.

The state railways management is continuing its meetings with
local mayors to draw up a traffic timetable meeting the concrete
needs of the people, the press release said.