Onboard devices for safe navigation will be purchased for 89 trains, of which 64 are for Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ), Transport and Communications Minister Georgi Gvozdeykov said at the opening of an international Bulgarian-Turkish business forum in the railway sector here on Thursday. "Incorporating the ERTMS [European Railway Traffic Management System] in trains is an important step to guaranteeing greater safety of railway transport," the Minister said, as quoted by his Ministry.
Attending the forum in Sofia were over 50 railway companies from Bulgaria and Türkiye.
Gvozdeykov added that for the first time, BDZ trains will have onboard ERTMS equipment of the latest generation, which is a novelty in Europe. National Railway Infrastructure Company will announce a public procurement procedure with an estimated cost of around BGN 105 million. The resources will be provided under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the Minister specified.
Gvozdeykov underscored the importance of improving railway connectivity between Bulgaria and Türkiye. He recalled that the border between the two countries is the most busy in the whole EU, and that leads to delays along the supply chains and additional costs for businesses. "That is why we are working actively on building a second railway crossing between the two countries, which to take part of the traffic along this route," he noted. A pre-investment study is being carried out for the new border railway crossing between Yambol, Elhovo, and Lesovo, so this project is underway too, he added.
He outlined as a key priority for BDZ in the next several years the renovation of the rolling stock, which is extremely old and ineffective. In the next two years, BDZ Passenger Services plans the delivery of 10 new locomotives, 50 new passenger trains as well as the modernization of over 140 carriages, the Minister explained. He called on all companies manufacturing rolling stock to take part in the tenders.
/MR/
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