An Important Railway Line in Bulgaria will be Modernized with EU Funds ˆ 471.5 million from the Cohesion Fund are invested in the development of the railway line between the towns of Elin Pelin and Kostenets. This section is part of the high-speed railway line between the two largest Bulgarian cities Sofia and Plovdiv from the east / eastern Mediterranean corridor of the TEN-T Trans-European Transport Network. This corridor passes through eight EU countries, from Berlin to Athens, creating important rail links in the countries of Central and Southern Europe. This means a smoother journey and exchange for Bulgaria and its neighbors. Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Krets said: "Seamless rail links for passengers and freight will stimulate regional development in Bulgaria and contribute to building a competitive and low-carbon economy for the next generation, and I am pleased that the European Cohesion Fund is helping." Over ˆ 100 million from the Cohesion Fund are invested in the Sofia-Plovdiv line in the period 2007-2013 for the construction of the stretch between the towns of Septemvri and Plovdiv. The Kostenets-Septemvri section is currently being funded with EUR 151.5 million under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). After completing the construction works on the Sofia-Plovdiv line, passengers will be able to travel between the two cities in less than 80 minutes at speeds of up to 160 km / h.
Source: Dnevnik (02.02.2018)

Restaurantkeeper halted rail auction for BGN 1 billion A company without any activity, related to railway transport, stopped one of the largest railway auctions in Bulgaria for nearly BGN 1 billion. It is for the project to modernize the Elin Pelin - Kostenets railway line, financed by the EU. The complaint that filed the complaint in the CPC's registry office on January 30th is Euro Invest OOD, registered in 2009 with generl line of business: hotel, restaurant and others activities. Its headquarters are in Haskovo, and in September 2017 its owner is replaced. Currently it is Yanko Stefanov Asenov. As a result of the appeal, the NRIC adjourned the proceedings until the committee issues its ruling. Its decision may be appealed to the SAC, which will also take time. The financing of the project is for the modernization of the Elin Pelin - Kostenets railway line amounting to EUR 451 million for the modernization of over 51 km of railway lines and 5 stations.
Source: 24 chasa (05.02.2018)

NRCs invested BGN 16 million in 4 years for in automatic crossing devices The National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC) has invested BGN 16 million in four years on automatic railroad crossing devices. The new devices are automated and, unlike the manual barriers (lowered and raised by a human), they are automatically triggered by the train. All new gears are equipped with an extra third white slowly flashing light, indicating that the device is not damaged and railroads can be safely crossed. Cameras are additionally mounted for control and prevention. Of all 757 rail crossings, 519 are equipped with automatic devices to ensure safe passage of the train through the crossing. Although Bulgarian rail infrastructure has one of the highest percentages of automated and technical devices to provide signposting, NRIC statistics indicate that only for the last 3 years 25 people were injured during incidents at crossings and 11 were killed.
Source: Other (14.06.2018)

A tender for BGN 1 billion for the Elin Pelin - Kostenets railway line attracted 19 offers Nineteen offers were submitted for the repair of the railway line between Elin Pelin and Kostenets. The indicative value of the project amounts to BGN 1.024 billion. One of the most expensive tenders has attracted Romanian, Polish, Greek, Italian and Turkish companies. Among them are the Italian Astaldi, the Greek Terna and Actor, the Polish Traction, who participate on their own. Bulgarian companies are applying through unions. Among them are Glavbolgarstroy, Kalistratov grup, Trace. Candidates for Lot 2 are also the PCT Group, for which the former Vodstroy 98 with its new name VDH also plays. It has participated in a consortium with Bitumina GmbH - Bulgaria, owned by a company registered in Austria, and others. Strabag is also participating in a consortium with GP Group. The section is part of the railway line Sofia - Plovdiv. The project is under the Operational Program "Transport" and is being run by the National Railway Infrastructure Company. The area is 51 km long, including 20 km of tunnels and 23 bridges and viaducts with a total length of 3 km, with five railway stations being planned on the road.
Source: Capital (07.08.2018)

Union Ivkoni and Group Plus will merge into a new company Another merger and acquisitions deal emerges in the Bulgarian economy and this time it will be on the passenger transport market. The newly-formed company Transspect AD will unite under its roof two of the big players in the sector through concentration by acquiring sole control over Union Ivkoni OOD and Group Plus OOD. This is clear from a notification to the watchdog Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC). The antimonopoly commission reports that it has started a file and reserves the right to make a final decision after an overall assessment of the notified transaction. So far, the financial parameters of the deal are not clear. It concerns the market for public bus passenger transport and the CPC has to assess how this concentration will affect the product-geographic market in the country. The Commission states that Transspect AD is a newly established company and has not yet carried on a commercial activity. For its part, Union Ivkoni is a transport and tourism company specializing in bus transport of passengers in the country and abroad as well as in the field of tourist services, while Group Plus is a transport company, whose main activity is focused on domestic and international passenger coach transport.
Source: investor.bg (07.08.2018)

Part of the money from the Sofia Airport concession will go to BDZ Part of the money from the Sofia Airport concession will go to BDZ and the railway infrastructure, the MPs decided. By law, the income from privatizations and concessions must go to the Silver Fund, but in this case an exception is made. To finance the state railways company with the money from the concession was talked about in the last year. The Executive Director Vladimir Vladimirov specified that the concession should increase the capital in the amount of the state aid granted. At the moment, however, the company is in collapse. The concession of Sofia Airport is a concession of a mixed nature, as the construction of a new airport terminal at the expense of the concessionaire is envisaged, in addition to the provision of services related to the operation of an airport. Construction must be completed by the tenth year of the term of the concession.
Source: Other (30.11.2018)