Sun, Nov 22 2009
Photo: Georgi Kozhuharov
This has come just three days after Bulgaria's other state-owned railway company, National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC), announced it would withhold 30 per cent of its employees' monthly wages by the end of 2009 in another drastic measure to keep itself afloat
Bulgaria’s railways prove woefully inefficient in an emergency
Bulgarian Transport Minister Alexander Tsvetkov says that state railways BDZ should review its communications and accident drills after a fatal car accident in which an electricity pylon was knocked on to a railway line, disrupting rail traffic between Sofia and Plovdiv for seven hours – with passengers left in the dark about the disruption in service.
BDZ executive director Hristo Monov pinned the bulk of the blame for the lacklustre performance on the economic meltdown and the falling prices of ready-made products.
The project will be financed by the Bulgarian Bank for Development, and the Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas, or Jessica Programme, although the report has so far failed to reveal the total cost of the vast enterprise.
Another chilling breeze from the global crunch has reached Bulgaria, with the Minister of Transport Petar Moutafchiev announcing on November 20 that the Bulgarian state railways BDZ will make 1250 redundancies in order to unload some of the burden from the company and "optimise its expenses". As a paramount reason for thinning the ranks of BDZ's employees, Moutafchiev pointed out the recent predicament of Kremikovtzi steel plant, which has been declared bankrupt.
Bulgarian state railways BDZ needed 500 million euro in each of the next five years to undergo full rehabilitation, Bulgarian Transport Minister Petar Moutafchiev said on March 17, as quoted by BTA. The minister took part in a discussion dedicated to traffic safety at BDZ, organised by several national media in the aftermath of the Sofia-Kardam incident.
Bulgarian winter resorts expect to sell out during holiday season
Loss of Russians could be compensated with an increase of British tourists, one tourist industry association says.
Bulgarian visits abroad matched the trend, with the exception of Macedonia where there was a 15.7 per cent increase.
Last-minute bookings hold the key to success in Bulgaria’s upcoming winter tourism season as holidaymakers hunt for bargains.
Bookings from the UK and Russia for the winter season have declined, but industry analysts say that Bulgaria relies mostly on last-minute bookings.