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title=" delaying trains across Bulgaria underlines infrastructure woes, passengers frustrated"

Bulgaria’s state railway operator, BDZ, is grappling with widespread delays today, causing substantial inconvenience to passengers on key routes. The latest incident, reported by BNT, involved a train on the Varna-Sofia line, which departed from Bulgaria’s coastal capital at 09:20 but was stuck for over an hour between Stara Zagora and MichaIlovo due to a fault in the contact network.

The state-owned BDZ informed passengers that they would be transported by bus instead, but the alternative solution did little to mitigate the delays. At Sofia’s Central Station, the train arrived 90 minutes behind schedule, extending the journey from Varna to almost 10 hours. The disruption wasn’t isolated; another train at Septemvri Station was delayed by 82 minutes in the late afternoon.

Passengers on social media have expressed their frustration, with many calling for investment in Bulgaria’s railway infrastructure. The recent delays come amidst increasing concerns about the dilapidated state of the country’s railway network, which is considered one of the worst in Europe.

Officials from BDZ have yet to comment on when services will return to normal, leaving thousands of passengers across the country’s key routes experiencing significant disruptions to their travel plans.

Bourgas to Sofia Train Journey Turns Nightmare for Passengers

Hundreds of passengers traveling from Bourgas to Sofia on the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) were in for a shock recently when their overnight journey turned into a 24-hour nightmare. The train, which was supposed to arrive in Sofia around 7:15 AM, didn’t reach its destination until the next day, over 24 hours later.

The unexpected delay was a result of multiple technical issues, according to BDZ. The train, which left Bourgas at around 9 PM, encountered problems with its engine just a few hours into the journey. After a brief stop to attempt repairs, the train proceeded but soon faced another setback – the air conditioning system failed, causing the temperature inside to soar.

Passengers, many of whom had paid extra for sleeping cars, were left sweating in stifling heat as they waited for the train to reach Sofia. The delay allowed them a rare glimpse of Bulgarian countryside bathed in the early morning and late evening sunlight.

"It was like being in an oven," said one passenger, who wished to remain anonymous. "We had to open the windows, but the noise was so loud, we couldn’t sleep. It was a nightmare."

BDZ acknowledged the delay, explaining that the problems were due to "technical difficulties" and apologized for the inconvenience caused. Passengers, however, were not so understanding.

"BDZ needs to get its act together," another passenger, Mario Georgiev, told reporters. "This is not the first time this has happened. They need to invest in better trains and provide adequate compensation for such delays."

This incident has sparked renewed calls for improvement in Bulgaria’s railway infrastructure. With the summer travel season in full swing, passengers are hoping that such incidents will become a rarity rather than the norm.