In Brief

 

The contract with the Consultant for Plovdiv – Svilengrad has been signed

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Vessela Gospodinova, signed the contract with the consortium selected for Supervising Consultant for the design and construction works under the project for the reconstruction and electrification of Plovdiv-Svilengrad railway line. The consortium includes TYPSA S.A., Louis Berger SAS, Systra S.A., TRADEMCO S.A. Rubicon Engineering Ltd. On behalf of the consortium, the contract was signed by the CEO for International Affairs of TYPSA S.A., Luis Moreno Nieves. The contract price is EUR12 577 350 and its duration is 74 months.

 

Renovated station square in Kazanlak

The reconstruction works of the station square in Kazanlak were accomplished on 1st June. The reconstruction of almost 14 decares amounts to more than BGN700 000, of which BGN300 000 have been provided through the privatisation of municipal facilities.

The rest of the funding was provided by the IBRD, the railways and local businessmen. The renovated square will provide 35 parking lots for taxi cabs and private cars. Over 4 decares of new pavement have been laid. The new green zones have the same surface area.

 

An EBRD forum on infrastructure

The Minister of Transport, Petar Mutafchiev, took part in a seminar on “Public private partnerships in Bulgarian transport infrastructure: principles and practices” held on 8th-9th May in Sofia. The forum was organised by the European Reconstruction and Development Bank and its aim was to discuss issues related to the structuring and implementation of PPP in the transport sector, municipal infrastructure and highways.

During the seminar, there were presentations on the experience of foreign investors in the structuring and implementation of PPP-based deals.

 

Presidential discussions on transport issues with Serbia

During his visit to Belgrade at the end of April, the President, Georgi Parvanov, discussed with his Serbian counterpart, Svetozar Marovic, the transport issues between the two countries, including the highway between Sofia and Nish and the electrification of the railway line connecting the two cities. The Minister of Transport, Petar Mutafchiev, was a member of the delegation headed by President Parvanov.

 

A Turkish project for a high-speed train via Bulgaria

The Turkish railways (TCDD) are preparing a project for a high-speed train link from Istanbul via Sofia to Western Europe. To this end, 20 Turkish experts have already begun examining the line near Edirne with a view to the achievement of high speeds for the new train. Currently, trains to Istanbul can operate at up to 120 km/h only along some sections of the line.

 

Meeting of the Bulgarian – Russian transport group

On 11th-12th May, the eighth meeting of the permanent Bulgarian-Russian working group on transport issues was held in Moscow. The Bulgarian delegation was headed by the Deputy Minister of Transport, Georgi Petarneichev, and the Russian delegation by the Deputy Minister, Sergei Aristov. During the meeting the delegations discussed possible cooperation in the sphere of international road services, sea and river transport, port activities, railway and air transport. The two parties continued their negotiations for the commissioning of an international ferryboat link between the two countries. The intention is to link the Bulgarian ports on the Danube to the Rousse-Varna railway line and to the ferry link with Russia. To this end, the parties proposed the construction of a container terminal in Rousse port, which would cost approximately EUR8 million.

 

The reconstructed railway station in Parvomai was inaugurated

On the 1st May, the reconstructed railway station in Parvomai was officially opened at a special ceremony attended by the President of Bulgaria, Georgi Parvanov, the Minster of Transport, Petar Mutafchiev, deputies, the Regional Governor of Plovdiv, Todor Petkov, the town’s Mayor, Angel Papazov, etc. The station was built in 1920. The reconstruction was carried out by AT Engineering 2000, Sofia. The total cost of the object is BGN2 196 000. The building’s façade as well as all offices, apartments and sanitary facilities inside, were fully rebuilt. All lighting elements were replaced by new and energy-saving ones. The ticketing desks were equipped to serve disabled passengers, who are now provided with direct and easy access to the waiting hall and platform No 1. All electric switching boards, internal power and lighting installations have been replaced, as well as electric sockets and the piping system.

 

High-speed railway network in the Balkans

The Heads of State and Government of the countries of South Eastern European Cooperation Process (SEECP) held their ninth meeting in Thessaloniki at the beginning of May and signed an agreement for the construction of a high-speed railway network in the region. For Bulgaria, the document was signed by the Minister of Transport, Petar Mutafchiev. Our delegation at the meeting was headed by the Prime Minister, Sergei Stanishev. The agreement envisages the construction of a high-speed railway network, consisting of 16 railway lines for passenger and freight services. Five of these lines cross the territory of Bulgaria – via Sofia, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Varna, Bourgas, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Vidin and Rousse. The projected objective is that by 2020, all trains along the network’s lines shall operate at 160 km/h, and border procedures shall be accelerated as well. Prime Minister Stanishev pointed out that the construction of cross-border infrastructure will facilitate trade and the exchange of passenger flows; therefore the countries in the region should promote the construction of new border control points and the modernisation of existing ones. He confirmed that Bulgaria’s main priority is the fast accomplishment of all components of multimodal Corridor VIII, including joint infrastructure projects such as the Bourgas-Vliora oil pipeline, the Sofia-Skopje railway line, new border control points, etc. As of 2007, our country will undertake the presidency of SEECP.

 

Funding for transport under ISPA

The European Commission has validated four financial memorandums under the ISPA Programme in accordance with which the grant amount allocated by the EU is EUR22 282 000 out of a total of EUR29 731 000 million. The funding is allocated for the preparation of projects related to 10 railway lines, three ring roads, as well as the management of household waste in seven regions of the country.

 

Meeting of transport ministers of Iran and Bulgaria

On 9th May, within the XVth session of the joint inter-Governmental Bulgarian-Iranian Commission for economic, scientific and technical cooperation, the Bulgarian transport minister, Petar Mutafchiev (who is Co-Chairman of the Commission on the part of Bulgaria) met his counterpart, Mohammad Rahmati, Head of the Iranian delegation. The meeting of the expert working group on transport issues held within the Commission’s meeting was presided by the Bulgarian Deputy Minister of transport, Youdjel Atilla.

 

The tender documentation for Danube Bridge 2 approved

On 16th May, the Delegation of the European Commission approved the tender documentation for the design and construction of the new combined (road and rail) bridge over the Danube at Vidin and Calafat. This is one of the largest and most complex infrastructure projects implemented by the Ministry of Transport. It includes the design and construction of four road lanes and a single railway line across the bridge, as well as the adjoining road and railway infrastructure. The overall project price is EUR236 million, of which EUR226 million are allocated for construction works and EUR10 million for feasibility studies, design and consultancy. The project is financially supported by EU programmes PHARE and ISPA, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Credit Institution for Reconstruction of the Federal Republic of Germany (KfW), the French Development Agency (AFD) and the state budget. The term for the construction of the bridge is 38 months.

 

Minister Mihalis Liapis visits Bulgaria

On 11th May, the Greek Minister of Transport, Mihalis Liapis, visited Bulgaria, invited by his Bulgarian counterpart, Petar Mutafchiev. During their meeting, the two ministers underlined the high level of relations between Bulgaria and Greece, which are based upon the common objectives of the two countries in the transport sector and the establishment of high-technology, state-of-art railways in the Balkans. They pointed out the need for reduced train journey times between Bulgaria and Greece through a reduction in border stopping times. The aim is to achieve a journey time between Thessaloniki and Sofia of 3.5 hours. Minister Liapis announced that Greek investment in the construction of Xanthi-Rudozem border control point amount to EUR30 million, and he stated that the construction of Komotini-Makaza border control point is in progress.

 

Minister Mutafchiev takes part in ECMT session

The Minister of Transport, Petar Mutafchiev, and the Deputy Minister, Georgi Petarneichev, took part in the 90th session of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT). The session was held on 17th- 18th May in the Irish capital, Dublin. The forum discussed the organisation an issues of sustainable development of transport, in particular, sustainable public transport, transport and environment, road safety and the reduction of road accidents by 50% by 2012, inland waterways and environmental protection. The meeting decided that Bulgaria will undertake presidency of ECMT and the next session will be held in 2007 in Sofia. ECMT was established in 1953. Today its members are 43 countries, and Bulgaria has been a full member since 1992.

 

The Statutes of BDZ - Siemens joint venture have been prepared

BDZ EAD has prepared the draft-Statutes of the joint venture between the railways and the German company Siemens. As we know, the contract for the establishment of the joint venture, which will perform maintenance, overhaul and final assembly of Desiro diesel train-sets, was signed in June 2005.

 

NRIC to sell immovable property

It is possible that the National Railway Infrastructure Company will sell the Pioner and Serdika stations in Sofia in order to acquit its liabilities under the Contract for cession with “Evrometal”. According to the Minister of Transport, Petar Mutafchiev, this step is made necessary by the lack of sufficient financial means for covering liabilities under this Contract, because of the growing indebtedness of the railways.

NRIC is waiting for the decision of the Governor of the Sofia region for the transformation of Serdika station into private state property in order to announce the Call for Bids for its sale. According to NRIC’s Director General, Dimitar Gaidarov, both Bulgarian and foreign investors are interested in this immovable property.

In 2005, “Evrometal” and the US company “Kingston Enterprises” bought out the liability of NRIC from NEC, amounting to BGN60 million, which should have been cleared off for a period of two years at a fixed interest rate of 7 percent. In security of this liability, NRIC constituted a pledge over its future revenues from the sale of 5 824 wagons, owned by BDZ EAD and with which BDZ will acquit its own liabilities to NRIC. The wagons will be used by “Evrometal” for scrap metal.

 

BDZ EAD provides new wagons to customers

BDZ EAD provides its customers with wagons with sliding aluminium doors for the transport of palletised goods. These are modern, two-axle, large-capacity wagons. The maximum axle weight is 22.5/25 tons. This type of wagon is the best solution for the transport of these goods. The wagons will be operated only on international freight services.

 

The first phase of Plovdiv-Svilengrad project launched

The 25th May marked the beginning of the effective implementation of the contract for the first phase of the project for “Reconstruction and electrification of the Plovdiv-Svilengrad-Greek/Turkish border railway line and the optimisation of the track for speeds of 160 km/h”. This was announced by the Deputy Minister of Transport, Vessela Gospodinova, after her meeting with the Project Consultants: the consortium ADO S.A, the Contractor: TERNA and the Supervisor: TYPSA S.A.

The first phase includes track design and construction, as well as the electrification of the 37.7-km-long section between the stations of Krumovo and Parvomai. This section accounts for almost 1/3 of the total length of the Plovdiv-Svilengrad line. The implementation term is 21 months. Therefore, the section will be accomplished in 2008. In case of delays, TERNA will pay daily penalties of EUR7 000.

 

A meeting on transport problems in the capital

During a working meeting between the Minister of Transport, Petar Mutafchiev, and the Mayor of Sofia, Boyko Borissov, the two discussed the possibilities for the construction of a modern intermodal terminal and a logistics centre in Sofia. Both parties expressed their willingness to accelerate the implementation of this project by making use of PPP advantages.

 

Towards healthy labour conditions in transport

The Sector Council for Labour Conditions (SCLC) within the Ministry of Transport met at the end of April and discussed the progress of activities, focusing upon the ensuring of healthy and safe labour conditions in the transport sector. Rossen Zarkov, who is Chairman of the Federation of Transport Workers “Podkrepa” was appointed Deputy Chairman of SCLC.

 

Reconstruction of Karnobat - Sindel section

The project for the construction of trestle tracks above “Tsonevo” dam was presented at Varna regional Governor’s office. It comes within the reconstruction and modernisation of Karnobat-Sindel railway line. According to the Minister of Transport, Petar Mutafchiev, and the Deputy Director General of NRIC, Vesselin Kozhuharov, the railway trestle tracks shall be commissioned by end-July 2007. Their basic construction was completed years ago, but due to lack of funding, further construction works were discontinued. The three facilities are 210 m, 240 m and 420 m long respectively. The completion of construction works requires BGN12.5 million.

The project for the modernisation of the Karnobat-Sindel railway section also includes three tunnels. The second tunnel has already been constructed but the first still demands completion at the cost of about BGN1 million.

The boring of the first tunnel posed serious problems because its construction engineers came across an underground lake. The completion of construction works of the tunnels requires BGN37.5 million from the state budget. In total, by end-2009 the state will invest approximately BGN50 million leva.