site.btaMinister Stoyanova: New Trains to Be Bought for First Time under Transport Connectivity Programme

For the first time, the Transport Connectivity Programme will finance the purchase of new rolling stock, caretaker Transport and Communications Minister Krassimira Stoyanova said here Monday. On November 7, the Ministry will sign an additional agreement with Skoda for five more electric trains, in addition to the contract already signed for 20 trains, she specified. Stoyanova was speaking at a meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Transport Connectivity Programme 2021-2027, the Transport and Communications Ministry said in a press release.

"We held negotiations with the European Commission, and they accepted our arguments for amending the Transport Connectivity Programme 2021-2027 and including a project for the purchase of new rolling stock," Minister Stoyanova explained.

Currently, nine procedures have been developed under the Transport Connectivity Programme 2021-2027, and eight of them are open. They include projects related to rail and road infrastructure, intermodality, innovation, traffic systems, and others.

As regards Operational Programme Transport and Transport Infrastructure 2014-2020, the absorption of funds is 99.4% and the review of the final payment requests submitted for all 2014-2020 projects has already been completed, the press release reads.