The state is preparing 12-year contracts for public rail carriers

The Ministry of Transport has launched the procedure for selecting public rail carriers. Currently, there is only one such carrier – the state-owned BDZ – but this time it will compete with private companies. The new contracts will be for 12 years, with a start date of December 13, 2026, when the 2027 train schedule comes into effect.

The agreements are expected to be concluded by December 31, 2025, and the period from their signing to the start date is the mobilization period for the contractors.

Currently, in addition to BDZ, three private operators have licenses to provide passenger rail transport services: Plovdiv-based Pimk, Stara Zagora-based Reylimpex, and Ivkoni Express.

The published Draft for determining the conditions and procedure for selecting carriers for passenger rail transport in the country provides for the railway map of Bulgaria to be divided into three regions (lots) – western, northern, and southern, with secondary lines included in each of them. Each lot will be served by the relevant regional depot (Sofia, Gorna Oryahovitsa, and Plovdiv).

In accordance with Article 123, paragraph 1, item 7 of the Labor Code, the employment relationships with the workers and employees employed by the current operator will not be terminated but will be transferred to the new public rail service operators, according to the transport ministry.

The contracts will be performed using own and/or hired rolling stock, as well as rolling stock provided by the state to the selected contractors. The rolling stock provided by the state will be proportional to the volume of service for the respective region. Upon expiry of the contract, the contractor is obliged to return the rolling stock to the owner in the condition in which it was received.

Within one month, the Ministry of Transport and Communications will hold talks with all interested parties, including trade unions, the non-governmental sector, etc., to discuss in detail the terms of the upcoming procedure. According to the timetable, it will be announced by the end of July 2025.

Translated with DeepL.