Bulgaria joins high-speed rail club

Bulgaria gets high-speed rail

Sure Europe has been one of the world leaders in terms of high-speed rail with successsful tracks in France and Spain, but with the likes of China and the US rapidly developing new systems it seems other European countries don't want to be left behind... literally. So who is stepping up to the high-speed rail plate? Bulgaria.

In the southern village of Starosel, Transport Minister Alexander Tsvetkov announced the opening of bids for the Sofia-Burgas high-speed rail service.

Tsvetkov stated that he hoped the tender will finish within a month and the construction of the 290km railway line will begin in the spring. It is hoped that once the railway is finished, trains will be able to run at a speed of 160 km/h between the southern cities of Plovdiv and Burgas.

However, another EU-financed high-speed stretch is also being planned - a route between Sofia and Plovdiv. The country already has the Sofia-Dragoman railway section under construction so once work finsihed, in approximately three years, Bulgaria will have high-speed railways between Sofia and Plovdiv.

It is sure to be bad news for European airlines, who have been forced to drastically cut prices or drop routes altogether to compete in regions where high-speed rail lines are prevalent.

The Bulgarian line is expected to cost 3 billion euro.

High-speed rail lines in Europe - here

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