site.btaSofia Asks EC to Approve Delivery of Five More Trains under National Recovery and Resilience Plan

Bulgaria has asked the European Commission to approve the delivery of five more trains under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Deputy Prime Minister and Transport and Communications Minister Grozdan Karadjov said at Parliament's Question Time on Friday.

As of April, two contracts have been signed, and one is in the process of being concluded.

The first contract, signed in February 2024, is for the delivery of nine electric shunter locomotives, five of which are already in operation. The delivery of 20 single-deck zero-emission electric multiple unit trains with a capacity of at least 300 seated passengers is being carried out under a contract since last September.

Under an additional agreement, five more trains are planned to be delivered. A request for their financing under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) was submitted to the European Commission on April 10. In this way, Bulgaria is not only not losing any funds in the railway sector, but is applying for additional funding, said Karadjov.

The last contract is for the delivery of 35 single-deck zero-emission multiple unit trains with a capacity of at least 200 seated passengers. Sofia is awaiting written approval from the European Commission for the Transport Minister's proposal, which enables the optimal absorption of funds under the NRRP while minimizing the burden on the state budget. The contract will be signed if the Commission grants approval. Under this arrangement, 12 of the 35 trains will be financed through the NRRP, and the remaining units will be funded by the state budget. If the contract is not concluded, no obligations will be incurred, Karadjov said.