I expect the rehabilitation of the last section from Septemvri to Stambolyiski to be completed by the mid of the year, by which the whole railway Septemvri-Burgas will be completed. That stated the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev during the inauguration of the renewed Stambolyiski-Plovdiv railway line and the newly constructed Intermodal Terminal- Plovdiv.

Minister Alexiev announced that there has been invested 630 million BGN under Operational Programme on Transport 2007-2013 for the modernization of the direction from Septemvri to Plovdiv. “By the mid of the year the renewed railway line from Septemvri to Burgas will allow traffic of passenger trains with speed to 160 km/h“, said the Minister. Under his words, the distance from Septemvri to Burgas would be passed for under 3 hours, and thus the time would be halved. The Minister added, he expected by 2022 to be completely finalized the railway artery, which connects Serbia through Bulgaria to Greece and Turkey and through the port of Burgas to the Middle East.

Hristo Alexiev explained that the new railway lines are electrified and equipped with modern ERTMS systems, which are compatible all over Europe and ensure the highest level of safety. “In parallel to the infrastructure, we also renew the railway stations along the new alignments in order to ensure a better comfort to the passengers“, clarified the Minister.

“Plovdiv is a crossroad between two European corridors and a crossing point of two road and railway arteries. That is the reason namely here to be constructed the first intermodal terminal, constructed with European funds”, stated the Minister Alexiev, and added that the site has already received Act 16.

Moreover the Minister recalled that in parallel to the construction of the terminal, there has been launched a procedure for its granting to a concession. “The performed studies show that is more appropriate a private operator to manage such a logistic center”, specified the Minister. Hristo Alexiev added that due to appeals, at the present stage, the procedure has been suspended and its second launch is to start. Under his words, after the realization of the transport projects in the region of Plovdiv during the recent years, it already has all the preconditions to become a logistic center for business and commerce.