site.btaUPDATED Varna Ferry Service to Be Repaired on BGN 13 Mln from State

The Varna Ferry infrastructure has not been repaired since it was originally built, because of which BGN 13 million were made available through the State Company Port Infrastructure, Transport Minister Georgi Gvozdeikov said as he visited the ferry port on Friday.

He explained that all funding will go for repairs. Contracts are expected to be signed in four public procurement procedures that have been announced, including one for repair of the parking lot and one for repair of the workshop for replacement of Russian-standard train bogies. 

The Minister explained that the ferry port is very important because as the reconstruction of Ukraine starts after the war, it will be a key point of import and export of cargo. Before that time comes, all repairs on the ferry port will be completed and it will meet all European standards, said Gvozdeikov. He believes that will be a year or a year and a half from now. 

The Minister further said that the idea for an intermodal terminal in Varna has not been abandoned and is in the offing.

The Bulgarian State Railways (BSR) is "a very hot topic:", to use Gvozdeikov's words. "I know what I found when I took office and my task is to make a change," he added. 

He explained that this cannot be done overnight. "Bulgaria has a huge chance to change the situation through the significant funding coming through the Recovery and Resilience Plan and this could be the beginning of the modernization of passenger rail transport in Bulgaria," Gvozdeikov said. He expressed hope that by 2027, when the last projects are scheduled to be completed, Bulgaria will have a truly modernized railway and offer a top-notch service to the public. 

The ongoing public procurement procedures for brand new rolling stock for the Bulgarian State Railways are worth about BGN 2 billion.

The project for an air ambulance system is also well advanced, the Minister said. "At the moment, a helicopter which has already come off the assembly line is being tested in Italy and we hope that by the end of the year it will be registered," Gvozdeikov said. A public procurement procedure for the construction of six bases for the air ambulance system is about to be announced, and the Minister hopes that by the end of the year this process will also be a completed.