Bulgaria's transport ministry says upgrades to stretches of the Burgas–Varna–Ruse rail line are now on the list of projects set for funding by 2034. The route is one of the busiest in the country.
At a meeting in Brussels called "Friends of Southeast Europe: Closing the Gaps Together," transport ministers from Bulgaria, Greece and Romania signed an action plan covering 53 projects worth almost 30 billion euros along three routes: the Aegean, the Danube and the Black Sea. The ministry says 25 of these are key projects ready to move ahead. The goal is a transport network with no gaps, running north-south and east-west.
So far only part of the money is in place. Also at the signing were EU transport and tourism commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas; Mario Mauro and Marguerite Marques, who coordinate the Baltic-Black Sea-Aegean and Rhine-Danube corridors; and European Investment Bank vice-president Robert de Groot.
Railways take up the biggest share of the plan. The projects aim for faster trains, heavier freight and electrification, along with European safety systems and double tracks on some sections. The point is easier access to ports and safer links between Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine.
The quickest win could be upgrading the existing Ruse–Giurgiu–Bucharest rail link, including electrifying the bridge. Bulgaria plans to apply for this under the "Reflow call" of the Connecting Europe Facility in the current funding round, with work due to finish between 2028 and 2030.
The plan also covers designs for two new bridges over the Danube, at Silistra and at Nikopol. Work is also underway on a combined rail-and-road bridge between Giurgiu and Ruse, along with bypass roads around both towns, expected by 2032.
The FAST2 Danube project to deepen the river border between Bulgaria and Romania already has funding secured and should finish by 2028.