Bulgarian State Railways
Encyclopedia
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
's state railway company and the largest railway carrier in the country, established as an entity in 1885. The company's headquarters are located in the capital Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
. Since the 1990s the BDZ has met serious competition from automotive transport. For the period 1994 to 2010 there is significant drop in the market share in the passenger and freight services and the lack of competent management worsens the situation.
Up to 2002 the company owned managed the railway infrastructure in the country, when according to EU regulations a new state company, the National Railway Infrastructure Company, was founded and became the owner of the infrastructure.
Bulgaria is a member of the International Union of Railways
International Union of Railways
The UIC , or International Union of Railways, is an international rail transport industry body.- Brief history :The railways of Europe originated as separate concerns. There were many border changes after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. Colonial railways were the responsibility of the...
(UIC). The UIC Country Code
UIC Country Code
The UIC Country Code is a two digit number used to identify member countries of the International Union of Railways . The UIC has issued numbering systems for rolling stock and train stations that both contain the UIC Country Code. The values are defined in UIC leaflet 920-14.-Table of Codes:-...
for Bulgaria is 52.
History
- 1864 - The first sod is turned for making the Ruse – VarnaVarnaVarna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
railway line. The Turkish government had commissioned for it an English company managed by William Gladstone, a politician, and the Barkley brothers, civil engineers - 1866 - Official opening of the 223 km long Ruse – Varna railway line
- 1870 - Baron Maurice de HirschMaurice de HirschMaurice de Hirsch was a German-Jewish philanthropist who set up charitable foundations to promote Jewish education and improve the lot of oppressed European Jewry. He was the founder of the Jewish Colonization Association which sponsored large-scale Jewish immigration to Argentina...
starts the construction of the ConstantinopleConstantinopleConstantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
– BelovoBelovoBelovo may refer to:*Belovo, Bulgaria, a town in Pazardzhik Oblast, Bulgaria*Belovo, Russia, a town in Kemerovo Oblast, Russia*Belovo, Slovenia, a settlement in the Laško municipality, Slovenia...
railway line - 1873 - Official opening of the Constantinople – Belovo railway line. The National Liberation movement and railway revolutionaries: Todor Kableskov – station master at Belovo railway station, Zahari Stojanov – shunter at Tarnovo Sejmen (today’s SimeonovgradSimeonovgradSimeonovgrad is a town in southern Bulgaria, located in Haskovo Province on both banks of the Maritsa River. Three bridges connect the town's two parts. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Simeonovgrad Municipality...
) railway station, Ilarion Dragostinov – a telegraph operator at Ruse railway station, Georgi Ikonomov – a shunter at the railway stations in Ruse, Tarnovo Sejmen and EdirneEdirneEdirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
, etc. - 1885 - The National Assembly passes the Railway Act, according to which railways in Bulgaria are state property and are operated by the state
- 1888 - Stefan Stambolov’s government expropriates the Vakarel – Belovo railway line (built and previously operated by Vitalis) and starts operating it. On 1 August, the whole of the Tsaribrod (Dimitrovgrad, SerbiaDimitrovgrad, SerbiaDimitrovgrad is a town and 483 km² large municipality located in the Pirot District of the Republic of Serbia. According to 2011 census, the municipality of Dimitrovgrad has a population of 10,056 people and the town 6,247.-Name:...
) – SofiaSofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
– Belovo railway line is opened for international traffic.The state buys off the Ruse – Varna railway line and startes operating it on 10 August. The Bulgarian State Railways are established, based on the Tsaribrod – Sofia – Belovo and Ruse – Varna railway lines. - 1912 - An independent Ministry of Railways, Post Offices and Telegraphs is established
- 1922 - A State Railway School is established
- 1950 - The Day of the Railwayman is officially declared – the first Sunday of August
- 1952 - The sub-Balkan railway line is opened
- 1963 - Diesel traction is introduced for train traffic with the diesel-hydraulic Bo'-Bo' locomotives Class 04, built by SGPSGPSGP may be an acronym for:* Standard Gross Profit * a 7th grade program in lackwaxen PA, a Lubavitch Summer camp, part of Chayolei inc...
; the first electrified line, Sofia – Plovdiv, enters into operation with the new then Class 41, built by SkodaŠkodaŠkoda is a Czech surname and brand name. It may refer to:* Škoda Auto, automobile manufacturer in the Czech Republic...
. - 1964 - The first doubled track, Sindel – Varna, is completed
- 1978 - Operations start on the Varna - IllichivskIllichivskIllichivsk is a port city in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. The city is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, and is located at around .-Geography:...
ferry line with four train ferries capable of carrying each 104 four-axle 1520 mm wagons. Break of gauge facility was constructed in BeloslavBeloslavBeloslav is a small industrial town in Varna Province, Northeastern Bulgaria, located 19 km away to the west from Varna downtown and Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Beloslav Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 7,937... - 2002 - On 1 January 2002, the new Railway Transport Act enters into force, passed by the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, according to which the National Company Bulgarian State Railways is split into two separate enterprises – a railway carrier (Bulgarian State Railways EAD) and an infrastructure enterprise (Railway Infrastructure National Company)
- 2010 - The European Commission formally warned Bulgaria in May 2010 for failure to implement the First Railway rules on track access charges.
- October 2010 - further restructuring announced, with BDZ EAD becoming a holding company, and all rolling stock allocated to passenger & freight subsidiaries.
Company structure
Since the last reforms in 2007, a new organizational structure has been approved.BDZ Inc. (a holding company with one shareholder, the Republic of Bulgaria)
- BDZ Putnicheski Prevozi Ltd. - responsible for the passenger services. The company carried 31,36 Million passengers in 2009.
- BDZ Tovarni Prevozi Ltd. - Freight operations and expedition with subsidiary BDZ SPED Ltd. The company carried 13,3 Million tonnes of freight in 2009 in 3,1 Million tonne kilometers.
- BDZ Traktzionen Podvizhen Sustav Ltd. - locomotive management and servicing.
- BDZ-Koncar Inc. - joint venture between BDZ EAD and KONČAR Group from CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
with main scope of work locomotive repairs and modernization.
Still there are many problems with the organizational structure of the holding. In order to optimize the running costs many of the employees from the administration should be laid off. There is an evident lack of effectiveness in the administration and the main goal of the Ministry of Transport, Information Technologies and Telecommunication is to make the company profitable.
Current traction
| Class # | Manufacturer | Traction Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06 | Electroputere Electroputere Electroputere S.A. , is a company based in Craiova, Romania. Founded in 1949, it is today one of the largest industrial companies in Romania.... - Craiova |
Diesel-electric Diesel-electric Diesel-electric transmission or diesel-electric powertrain is used by a number of vehicle and ship types for providing locomotion.A diesel-electric transmission system includes a diesel engine connected to an electrical generator, creating electricity that powers electric traction motors... |
|
| 07 | Luhanskteplovoz Luhanskteplovoz Luhanskteplovoz , earlier known as Voroshilovgrad Locomotive works is a large industrial company in Luhansk, Ukraine, manufacturing locomotives, multiple unit trains as well as other heavy equipment.... |
Diesel-electric Diesel-electric Diesel-electric transmission or diesel-electric powertrain is used by a number of vehicle and ship types for providing locomotion.A diesel-electric transmission system includes a diesel engine connected to an electrical generator, creating electricity that powers electric traction motors... |
Ludmilla (locomotive) The most famous locomotives built in the Soviet Union Soviet Union The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991.... . Same as DB Class 232 |
| 10 | Siemens AG Siemens AG Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company.... |
DMU Diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:... -2 |
Desiro Modern diesel-hydraulic multiple-units. |
| 30 | Siemens AG | EMU-3 | Desiro Modern 3 car electric multiple units |
| 31 | Siemens AG | EMU-4 | Desiro 4 car version of class 30 |
| 32 | RVR Riga Rigas Vagonbuves Rupnica Originally named Phoenix, Rīgas Vagonbūves Rūpnīca was founded in 1895 by the businessman Oscar Freywirth and is one of the largest machine-building plants in Latvia. RVR is based in Riga and was for many years the largest producer of electric and diesel trains and also tramcars in the former... |
EMU-4 | Soviet built EMUs |
| 33 | RVR Riga | EMU-4 | Soviet built EMUs |
| 42.1 | Skoda Works | Electric | |
| 43 | Skoda Works | Electric | |
| 44 | Skoda Works | Electric | Same as Class 43, but with electro-dynamic braking. |
| 45 | Skoda Works | Electric | Same as Class 44. Re-geared for 110 km/h operation for freight trains. |
| 46/46 200 | Electroputere Craiova | Electric | The LE5100 are the most powerful locomotives in use by BDZ. Similar to CFR Class 40. |
| 51 | Ganz Ganz The Ganz electric works in Budapest is probably best known for the manufacture of tramcars, but was also a pioneer in the application of three-phase alternating current to electric railways. Ganz also made / makes: ships , bridge steel structures , high voltage equipment... |
Diesel | Simillar to ZS Class 641 and MÁV Class M42. |
| 52 | VEB VEB VEB may stand for:*Virtual/Electronic Business*Venezuelan Bolívar, the currency of Venezuela between 1879 and 2007. *Volkseigener Betrieb , a state owned workplace or establishment in the German Democratic Republic.*VEB Maschinenpistole, an East German machine pistol.*Vnesh Econom Bank, the... Lokomotiv und Electrotechnische Werke |
Diesel-hydraulic | DR Class V60. |
| 55 | FAUR Faur Faur can be:* José Faur, Sepharadi Hakham , teacher and scholar* Freda du Faur, the first female mountaineer to climb New Zealand's tallest mountain, Mount Cook* Guy Du Faur, Seigneur de Pibrac, French jurist and poet... |
Diesel-hydraulic | The biggest number of locomotives in the BDZ fleet. |
| 61 | Skoda Works Škoda Works Škoda Works was the largest industrial enterprise in Austro-Hungary and later in Czechoslovakia, one of its successor states. It was also one of the largest industrial conglomerates in Europe in the 20th century... |
Electric | Shunter and light service loco. Famous amongst railfans in Bulgaria due to rarity (~ 20 units) of locomotive. |
| 66 | Humboldt-Deutzmotoren A.G. | Diesel-hydraulic | Sofia Depot has one locomotive of the class, which had to be restored for shunting service in the depot, but works were stopped due to lack of financing. DR Class V20. |
| 75 | Henschel & Son Henschel & Son Henschel & Son was a German company, situated in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicles and weapons.... |
Diesel-hydraulic | Narrow gauge Narrow gauge A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :... locomotives used on the Septemvri Septemvri Septemvri is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, located at the western end of the Upper Thracian Lowland, away to the west from the city of Pazardzhik. It is the administrative centre of homonymous Septemvri Municipality... - Dobrinisthe tourist-attraction line. |
| 77 | FAUR Faur Faur can be:* José Faur, Sepharadi Hakham , teacher and scholar* Freda du Faur, the first female mountaineer to climb New Zealand's tallest mountain, Mount Cook* Guy Du Faur, Seigneur de Pibrac, French jurist and poet... |
Diesel-hydraulic | Narrow gauge locomotive. |
| 81 | Soviet Union Soviet Union The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991.... |
Diesel-hydraulic | Narrow gauge shunting locomotive. |
Septemvri - Dobrinishte narrow gauge line
The scenic Septemvri-Dobrinishte narrow gauge lineSeptemvri-Dobrinishte narrow gauge line
The Septemvri–Dobrinishte narrow gauge line is the only operating narrow gauge line in Bulgaria. It is operated by the Bulgarian State Railways . The line is actively used with nine trains runnng per day. The journey takes over four hours...
was finished in 1945. It is now famous for its beautiful views. 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 summer and winter tourist centre of Bansko
Bansko
Bansko is a town and a popular ski resort in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains at an elevation of 925 m above sea level....
. The line is 760mm gauge, unelectrified, and is primarily served by diesel power locomotives, however there are well preserved steam locomotives that provide attraction tours. Even trough it is very attractive to tourists, it is also widely used by the local inhabitants for public transport purposes.
Rail links to adjacent countries
- Same gauge:
-
Greece — KulataKulataKulata is a village in Petrich municipality, Blagoevgrad Province, in southwestern Bulgaria. it has 892 inhabitants and the mayor is Dimitar Manolev. The village is a major border checkpoint on the border with Greece...
- PromachonasPromachonasPromachonas is a village and a former community in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sintiki, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 252 . A major border crossing with Bulgaria is located here...
and SvilengradSvilengradSvilengrad is a town in Haskovo Province, South-central Bulgaria, situated at the border of Turkey and Greece. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Svilengrad Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 18,132 inhabitants....
- OrestiadaOrestiadaOrestiada is the northeasternmost and northernmost city of Greece and the second largest city of the Evros peripheral unit of Thrace. The population is around 25,000. Orestiada is only 2 km west of the banks of the Evros, which forms a natural border between Greece and Turkey...
(Note: passenger services suspended from early 2011) -
MacedoniaMakedonski ZelezniciMŽ is the public enterprise for railway infrastructure in the Republic of Macedonia.The Republic of Macedonia is a member of the International Union of Railways...
— via NišNišNiš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
in SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
or via ThessalonikiThessalonikiThessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
in GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
(Note: passenger services suspended from early 2011) -
RomaniaRail transport in RomaniaThe first railway in the Kingdom of Romania opened in 1869 and linked Bucharest and Giurgiu. The first railway on current Romanian territory opened in 1854, between Oraviţa and Baziaş in Banat, however that region was under the administration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time.Since then,...
— via Ruse - GiurgiuGiurgiuGiurgiu is the capital city of Giurgiu County, Romania, in the Greater Wallachia. It is situated amid mud-flats and marshes on the left bank of the Danube facing the Bulgarian city of Rousse on the opposite bank. Three small islands face the city, and a larger one shelters its port, Smarda...
bridge over the DanubeDanubeThe Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
and KardamKardam, Dobrich ProvinceKardam, Dobrich Province is a village in the municipality of General Toshevo, in Dobrich Province, in northeastern Bulgaria....
- Negru VodaNegru VodaNegru Vodă is a town in Constanţa County, Dobruja, south-eastern Romania.The name is probably derived from the legendary Radu Negru , founder and ruler of Wallachia.It has an area of .-Villages:...
. In the future (currently scheduled for 2012) the VidinVidinVidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
- CalafatCalafatCalafat is a city in Dolj County, Romania, on the river Danube, opposite the Bulgarian city of Vidin, to which it is linked by ferryboat. The construction of the Calafat-Vidin Bridge is planned between the two cities....
road and rail bridge will be put in operation. -
Serbia — via KalotinaKalotinaKalotina is a village in Dragoman municipality, Sofia Province, in westernmost central Bulgaria. As of 2010 it has 270 inhabitants and the mayor is Lidia Bozhilova. The village is located at the border with Serbia, 55 km to the northwest of the capital Sofia, on the main highway and railway...
- Dimitrovgrad, SerbiaDimitrovgrad, SerbiaDimitrovgrad is a town and 483 km² large municipality located in the Pirot District of the Republic of Serbia. According to 2011 census, the municipality of Dimitrovgrad has a population of 10,056 people and the town 6,247.-Name:... -
TurkeyRail transport in TurkeyTurkey has a well-developed, state-owned railway system built to standard gauge which falls under the remit of the Ministry of Transport and Communication. The primary rail carrier is the Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları which is responsible for all long-distance and cross-border freight...
— via SvilengradSvilengradSvilengrad is a town in Haskovo Province, South-central Bulgaria, situated at the border of Turkey and Greece. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Svilengrad Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 18,132 inhabitants....
- KapikuleKapikuleKapıkule is the Turkish frontier town in Edirne Province on the border of Turkey and Bulgaria. Its counterpart on the Bulgarian side is Kapitan Andreevo. Together, they are the busiest land border crossing point in the world and the busiest in Europe....
-
External links
- Official website of the Bulgarian State Railways in Bulgarian and English
- Unofficial map of Bulgarian Railways in Bulgarian and English
- Boosting Railway infrastructure in Bulgaria in English
- Bulgarian Locomotive Forum in Bulgarian, English and German
- Bulgarian State Railways classes linst @ Trainspo in English.