Bulgaria Breaks Rail Monopoly as First Private Passenger Trains Set to Run After 138 Years

Bulgaria is set to introduce private passenger rail services for the first time in its 138-year railway history, following the signing of long-term contracts by outgoing Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov. The agreements were concluded with the companies that ranked first in the public tender for passenger rail transport. Under the new structure, the state-owned operator BDZ – Passenger Services will continue to operate the Western region, which accounts for around 75 percent of all passenger rail traffic in the country....