Rail transport in Bulgaria

Rail transport in Bulgaria
A Siemens Desiro near Thompson
Operation
National railway	Bulgarian State Railways
Infrastructure company	National Railway Infrastructure Company
System length
Total	4,070 km (2,529.0 mi) (as of 31 Dec 2012)
Track gauge
Main	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification
Main	25 kV AC, 50 Hz OHLE
Map Map of the Bulgarian railway network

Rail transport in Bulgaria services are operated by the Bulgarian State Railways. The infrastructure is owned by National Railway Infrastructure Company.

History

The Ruse – Pliska - Varna, the first Bulgarian railway line, was started in 1864. The Ottoman government had contracted an English company to build it. The line, which was 223 km long, was opened in 1866.

In 1870 Baron Maurice de Hirsch started building the Constantinople – Luleburgaz - Edirne - Svilengrad - Plovdiv - Pazardzhik - Belovo railway line. It was completed three years later.

In 1885, the National Assembly passed the Railway Act. Railways in Bulgaria were considered state property and were to be operated by the state. In 1888 Stefan Stambolov's government took over the Vakarel – Belovo railway line. It was built and previously operated by Vitalis. On 1 August, the whole of the Tsaribrod (now Dimitrovgrad, Serbia) – Sofia – Belovo railway line was opened for international traffic. The state bought the Ruse – Varna railway line and started operating it on 10 August. The Bulgarian State Railways were set up. An independent Ministry of Railways, Post Offices and Telegraphs was established in 1912, followed by the State Railway School in 1923.

The scenic Septemvri-Dobrinishte narrow gauge line was finished in 1945. It goes through the station of Avramovo, which is the highest railway station on the Balkans at 1267.4 meters. Further on, it passes through the tourist centre of Bansko. The line is 760mm gauge, unelectrified, and is primarily served by diesel locomotives. There are also well preserved steam locomotives that run tours. Even though it is very attractive to tourists, it is also widely used by the local people.