The Bulgarian rail operator BDZ-Passenger Carriages and Deutsche Bahn signed a contract for the delivery of 76 second-hand modernised coaches with the first 19 railcars to arrive in mi-April.
According to BDZ, the remaining 57 railcars will be delivered by the by early June when all vehicles will be included in its fleet.
The total value of the contract is BGN 30.5 million (EUR 15.4 million), which includes all costs of delivery to Bulgaria. The unit price for 1 wagon amounts to BGN 391,166 (EUR 197,296).
The contract includes the supply of 60 saloon-type passenger coaches for second-class transport, 6 specialised railcars for the carriage of persons with reduced mobility and bicycles, and 10 bistro coaches.
The rolling stock meets all modern standards of comfort, is equipped with an air conditioning system, as well as with an information system to notify passengers of the stations and stops along the train route. The last scheduled overhaul of the wagons was carried out between 2018 – 2022, and they were in service on the German rail network until December 2023.
At the end of January 2024 the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov announced that the ministry and BDZ are in the final phase of negotiations for the purchase of second-hand modernised coaches from Deutsche Bahn. A week later, representatives of the ministry and BDZ went to the city of Leipzig and visited the DB base to inspect the rolling stock and clear up all the details of the deal.
With these modernised coaches BDZ will modernise over 20% of its rolling stock and will serve the busiest routes from Sofia to Varna, Burgas and Ruse providing increased capacity and comfort. According to the Ministry of Transport, this acquisition is the first visible step in the reform of the Bulgarian railways and will answer mobility needs.
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