The upcoming long-term repairs of railway sections in Serbia and Romania will affect the freight transport of Bulgarian railway carriers. The topic was discussed by Bulgarian Minister of Transport Georgi Peev in an online meeting with Romanian Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Radu Miruca and Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Aleksandra Sofronijevic.
Serbia plans to close the Niš-Dimitrovgrad railway section for approximately 200 days, starting in September 2026. In Romania, a complete interruption of traffic on the Giurgiu Sever-Ruse route is planned from April to December 2027.
Bulgaria is concerned that the simultaneous restriction of both routes will seriously affect freight flows between Central Europe, the Balkans and Turkey.
Bulgarian railway operators have already expressed their concerns about the consequences of the planned restrictions and the need to find feasible alternatives, Minister Georgi Peev informed his colleagues.
"It is of strategic importance for Bulgaria to maintain railway connectivity with Serbia and Romania. It is necessary to coordinate repair activities in a way that ensures maximum continuity of international traffic," he said, quoted by the press center of his ministry.
As a possible solution, Peev proposed establishing freight train schedules in advance, which would prevent a complete disruption of traffic.
The three sides agreed to continue discussions at the level of management of the railway infrastructure companies. Specific operational solutions will be discussed for coordinating repairs and using the available capacity, so as to minimize the negative consequences for border rail traffic.
