site.btaBulgaria Seeks Partnership with Top European Railway Safety Experts - Minister

Bulgaria is seeking partnerships with the best European experts specializing in railway safety procedures, a topic discussed at a meeting between Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Grozdan Karadzhov and Andreas von Busch, Head of the Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovenia Unit at the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission, who oversees the implementation of EU programmes in the three countries, the Transport Ministry said in a press release on Tuesday.

"We must urgently review all procedures and rules, and wherever gaps are identified, they need to be addressed," said Karadzhov, raising the issue of funding technical assistance measures through the Transport Connectivity Programme 2021-2027.

"Our goal is to form a serious team of international experts who will thoroughly analyze all procedures and provide specific recommendations to railway companies and operators. This must happen quickly because we cannot afford to lose another human life on the tracks," Karadzhov stressed.

Regarding the implementation of the Transport Connectivity Program 2021-2027, he explained that discussions with all relevant institutions are upcoming to accelerate the execution of railway and road projects. "We need to quickly find solutions to all unresolved issues that are delaying the implementation of the Struma Motorway, the Shipka Tunnel, and key railway routes between Sofia and Plovdiv," Karadzhov said.

During the meeting, the financing of the Obelya Multimodal Station in Sofia was also discussed. This project is viewed as an excellent example of a multimodal connection between the metro, railway, and bus transport. "Our goal is for everyone coming to the capital to work to be able to leave their cars at the city’s entrance and use public transport," Karadzhov explained, adding that the project is ready and, with secured funding from the programme, can be launched immediately.

The European Commission emphasized the need to strictly adhere to the requirement for balanced investments between Southern and Northern Bulgaria and noted that the inclusion of this additional project will depend on the overall investment map for the Transport Connectivity Program 2021-2027 by region.

On Monday, Karadzhov, Economy and Industry Minister Petar Dilov, and Hungary’s Minister of National Economy Márton Nagy signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Its primary goal is for Bulgaria and Hungary to develop transport corridors between the two countries and explore opportunities for joint investments in infrastructure projects to improve connectivity.