site.btaParliament Approves Second-reading Amendments to Railway Transport Act

Railway infrastructure facilities and the land they occupy remain public state property, with their use overseen by the National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC) or private operators granted concessions under the Concessions Act. Parliament has now clarified that these entities will be recognised as managers of the railway infrastructure, approving amendments to the Railway Transport Act at second reading.

Under the new rules, those sitting on the management boards of the infrastructure, as well as their senior decision-makers, must act impartially and avoid conflicts of interest. They will be barred from engaging in competing business, from holding contracts with railway operators, or from simultaneously serving on the management boards of both infrastructure managers and railway undertakings. Similar restrictions apply to supervisory boards in order to prevent overlapping interests within vertically integrated rail companies.

Lawmakers also lifted a long-standing ban that prevented the NRIC from delegating its activities. Until now, only the state company could ensure equal access to the network for licensed operators, carry out development, maintenance and repairs, and set and collect infrastructure charges. The changes mean an infrastructure manager may now outsource certain functions to third parties, provided they are not railway operators or linked to them. The confidentiality of commercial information and the absence of conflicts of interest must still be guaranteed.

Despite this flexibility, the infrastructure manager will continue to carry ultimate responsibility for its functions, and neither state bodies nor railway companies will be allowed to exert decisive influence over its core duties.

The amendments were opposed by the Vazrazhdane party, Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh), and Velichie.

Vazrazhdane MP Nikola Dimitrov warned that concessionaires could gradually take over NRIC’s role. His colleague Ivaylo Chorbor called the idea of handing such infrastructure to private operators “absolute madness”, questioning who would guarantee the security of key assets and accusing the state of irresponsibly selling off property.

MECh’s Hristo Rastashki echoed those concerns, arguing the reforms opened the door to “schemes”. He claimed that the state rail operator BDZ was being broken up and “given away to private interests”, effectively ending the state’s monopoly on train services.

Krasimira Katincharova of Velichie added that BDZ also provides a vital social service. “You want to sell it off piece by piece because there’s no money. And there’s no money because the state is governed badly,” she remarked.