Bulgaria rail industry news
Business news about railway operations, services and the supply industry in Bulgaria.
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NewsŠkoda completes EMU for Bulgaria just 14 months after contract signing
BULGARIA: Škoda Group has completed the first of 25 RegioPanter electric multiple-units just 14 months after the order was signed by Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport & Communications.
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NewsHitachi consortium awarded Bulgarian ERTMS contract
BULGARIA: National Railway Infrastructure Co has awarded a consortium of Hitachi Rail and CERB a contract to install ERTMS on the Voluyak – Dragoman section of the route from Sofia to the Serbian border.
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NewsŠkoda rolls out metro train with powerful air-conditioning for Sofia’s hot summers
BULGARIA: Škoda Group has unveiled one of the trainsets it is building for the Sofia metro.
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NewsBulgaria plans new rail connection to Turkey to relieve border congestion
BULGARIA: Plans have been announced for rehabilitation of the 39 km railway between Yambol and Elhovo and the construction of a 32 km alignment between Elhovo and Lesovo.
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NewsContainer wagons modified for agricultural loads
EUROPE: Slovakian wagon manufacturer ŽOS Trnava has modified 40 Lgs container wagons to carry bulk agricultural goods.
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NewsBulgaria sets out plans to tender passenger train operating contracts
BULGARIA: The Ministry of Transport & Communications has begun public consultation on its draft framework for the competitive award of contracts for the operation of passenger rail services.
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NewsRestructuring of Bulgarian rail freight operator planned
BULGARIA: Plans for a major restructuring of the national railway’s freight business BDZ Tovarnni Prevosi has been announced by Minister of Transport & Communications Grozdan Karadjov.
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NewsBulgarian EMU order finally signed
BULGARIA: The Ministry of Transport & Communications has formally awarded the Alstom-led BULEMU consortium a contract to supply and maintain 35 Coradia Stream electric multiple-units. The signing of the order was confirmed by Alstom on April 25 following a prolonged procurement process. It is worth a ...
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NewsMinister orders urgent measures to enhance railway safety
BULGARIA: Minister of Transport & Communications Grozdan Karadzhov has ordered urgent action to enhance railway safety within six months, following the receipt of a report commissioned from an industry working group.
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NewsBulgaria selects Alstom to supply EMUs
BULGARIA: Following a prolonged procurement process, a consortium of Alstom and RVP Invest has been selected to supply 35 single-deck electric multiple-units. The order — which is awaiting signature — is worth €445m, including 15 years of maintenance. The national Recovery & Resilience Plan had allocated ...
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In depthSoutheast Europe: EU funding underpins Bulgarian route modernisation schemes
Financial support from Brussels is lending much-needed momentum to a long-running programme of route modernisation on the key rail axes linking Bulgaria with neighbouring countries and serving its major ports. Toma Bačić reports.
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NewsBulgarian EMU order signed as previous procurements hit problems
BULGARIA: The Ministry of Transport & Communications has signed a contract for Škoda Group to supply 20 four-car 160 km/h electric-multiple units for use on long distance services from Sofia to Burgas, Varna and Ruse. The 25 kV AC 50 Hz EMUs from the Czech manufacturer’s ...
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NewsStadler selected for Bulgarian EMU order
BULGARIA: Stadler Polska has been selected for a contract to supply 35 electric multiple-units, Transport minister Georgi Gvozdeykov said at the Green Transition Forum 4.0 in Sofia on June 26. The contract will be worth 642·5m leva, including 15 years of maintenance. The EMUs would be ...
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NewsStadler selected for Bulgarian double-deck train order
BULGARIA: Stadler has been selected to supply seven double-deck electric multiple-units for use by national passenger operator BDZ . Stadler’s bid came in at 301m leva, including 15 years of maintenance, with a delivery time of 26 months. The 200 km/h units will have a capacity ...
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NewsBulgarian operator buys DB coaches
BULGARIA: National passenger operator BDZ-Putnicheski Prevozi has bought 76 second-hand coaches from Germany’s Deutsche Bahn for use on services from Sofia to Varna, Burgas and Ruse. The €15·7m contract signed on March 29 covers 60 second class open saloon coaches, six second class cars for passengers ...
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NewsCRRC drops Bulgarian train bid following EU investigation
BULGARIA: CRRC Qingdao Sifang Locomotive has withdrawn its bid for a contract to supply 20 push-pull trainsets, after the European Commission launched an investigation into whether the Chinese state-owned company might have benefited from an unfair subsidy. The tender from the Ministry of Transport & Communications ...
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NewsBulgarian Talgo 230 push-pull train proposal revealed
BULGARIA: Spanish manufacturer Talgo has announced details of the trainsets it has proposed in response to a call for tenders to supply and maintain 20 push-pull inter-city trainsets. CRRC Qingdao Sifang Locomotive submitted a much lower bid for the tender called by Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport ...
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NewsEuropean Commission investigates whether CRRC received market-distorting subsidy
BULGARIA: The European Commission has launched an in-depth investigation into whether a subsidiary of Chinese state-owned rolling stock group CRRC received unfair subsidy enabling it to submit a low bid for a contract. The investigation announced on February 16 is the first under the Foreign Subsidies ...
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NewsBicycle and ski van added to Bulgarian narrow gauge trains
BULGARIA: National railway BDZ now offers bicycle and ski vans on the 760 mm line between Septemvri and Dobrinishte. Two vans are available on weekends from November 4. They have been converted from parcels vans, and are fitted with racks for bicycles ...
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Metro Report InternationalTrains ordered for Sofia metro Line 3 extension project
BULGARIA: Sofia metro operator Metropolitan JSC has awarded the Simetro consortium of Siemens Mobility and Newag a €68m contract to supply a further eight trainsets for Line 3. The order announced on July 20 will take the Line 3 fleet to 38 Inspiro trainsets ordered in ...