CZ/SK verze

Bulgaria Completes First Railway Tunnel in 50 Years for Sofia-Burgas Modernisation

Bulgaria Completes First Railway Tunnel in 50 Years for Sofia-Burgas Modernisation
photo: Ministry of Transport and Communications BG/Bulgaria Completes First Railway Tunnel in 50 Years for Sofia-Burgas Modernisation
17 / 03 / 2023

According to Bulgaria's acting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Hristo Alexiev, the country is celebrating the completion of a new railway tunnel on the Elin Pelin - Kostenets line, which is the first in Bulgaria in 50 years.

More than 100 machines and more than 200 people have been working on the one km-long tunnel for the past year and a half. This section is a vital part of the project to modernise the railway line from the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, to Burgas, and is being funded by European funds.

In total, the project involves the construction of a double tunnel with a length of almost 7 km, a road overpass, an underpass, eight bridges and overpasses. It also includes the construction of a new Elin Pelin railway station, Pobit Kamak station, as well as signalling and telecommunications systems.

"Tunnel construction in railway transport has been neglected for a long time. I brought the projects to a halt and did everything possible to start them on a good and accelerated schedule. The first serious result is a fact," said Hristo Alexiev, who was present to inspect the project's progress on site.

The progress of the construction was also observed by Aylin Sekizkök, the Turkish ambassador to the country, and representatives from the local government.

Tags