For the first time, new trains will be purchased under the Transport Connectivity Program

For the first time under the Transport Connectivity Program we will finance the purchase of new railway rolling stock. On Thursday, we are going to sign an additional agreement with Škoda for 5 more electric motor trains, to the already concluded contract for 20 trains. This was announced by the Minister of Transport and Communications Krasimira Stoyanova during the Monitoring Committee of the "Transport Connectivity" Program 2021-2027, which is being held today in Sofia.

"We held negotiations with the European Commission and they accepted our arguments for amending the Transport Connectivity Program 2021-2027 and the inclusion of a project for the purchase of new rolling stock," said Minister Stoyanova. She noted that it is important that the transport infrastructure is safe, sustainable and developed, but equally important is the service it provides. Minister Stoyanova stated that at the operational program level, it is extremely important to work to overcome the delays, as well as to upgrade the administrative capacity.

Currently, 9 procedures have been developed under the Transport Connectivity Program 2021-2027, 8 of which are open. These include projects related to rail and road infrastructure, intermodality, innovation, traffic systems and others. The large infrastructure railway and road projects "Plovdiv - Burgas", phase 2, "Voluyak - Dragoman", phase 2, the highway "Ruse - Veliko Tarnovo" are to be implemented in the program period.

Regarding the OP "Transport and Transport Infrastructure" 2014-2020, the financial implementation is 99.4%, and the examination of the submitted requests for final payments for all projects under OPTTI 2014-2020 has already been completed.