Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev initiated and held an online meeting with Radu Dinel Miruță, who serves as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense, and acting Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Romania, as well as with the Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Aleksandra Sofronijevic. The ministry's press office specified that the Bulgarian Deputy Ministers of Transport and Communications, Tsveta Timeva and Hristina Velinova, also took part in the discussion.

The main focus of the talks was upcoming repair works on railway infrastructure in the neighboring countries and how these interventions would affect international rail traffic. It was clarified that Serbia plans to close the Niš – Dimitrovgrad railway section for a period of about 200 days, with the measures scheduled to come into effect from September 2026. Romania is also preparing large-scale activities, with a full suspension of traffic on the Giurgiu Nord – Ruse line planned from April to December 2027.

The Bulgarian side expressed concern that the simultaneous restriction of these two major routes would adversely affect freight flows passing between Central Europe, the Balkan Peninsula, and Turkey. Minister Peev noted that Bulgarian rail carriers have already raised serious concerns regarding the potential negative consequences and stressed the absolute necessity of finding viable alternatives.

"It is of strategic importance for Bulgaria to maintain railway connectivity with Serbia and Romania. It is necessary for the repair works to be coordinated in a way that ensures maximum continuity of international traffic," emphasized Minister Peev. As a concrete solution to the problem, he pointed to the possibility of pre-determining time slots for freight trains, which would help avoid a total blockade of traffic.

The three countries agreed to continue the discussions at the level of railway infrastructure company management. At an upcoming meeting, the parties will discuss detailed operational solutions for coordinating the repairs and utilizing available capacity to minimize negative impacts on cross-border traffic.

In the statement, BTA recalled that earlier this week, Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev presented the first Alstom electric train at the Central Railway Station in Sofia. He explained that the first two trains, delivered under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, are expected to be put into operation at the beginning of September. They will serve the Pernik – Sofia – Plovdiv – Svilengrad route, and according to the signed contract with Alstom, 23 more trains are to be delivered.