Bulgaria - General Information
Country Name
Bulgaria (България)
National railway system
National Railway Operator
Bulgarian State Railways - Bulgarski Darshavni Železnici (BDŽ), Български държавни железници (БДЖ).
Language
Bulgarian, using Cyrillic script.
Currency
Lev (Lv, дв); 100 stotinki = 1 Lv
UIC code
numeric 52; alpha BG
Timetable
Journey Planner
razpisanie.bdz.bg/SearchServlet?lang=en
Downloadable Timetable
The now obsolete 2012-2013 timetable is available as a single pdf almost entirely in Cyrillic script. It is however over 60 MB in size.
There was a no timetable pdf for 2013-2014 as at May 2014
Printed Timetable
Patevoditel (ПЪТЕВОДИТЕЛ). Includes all internal and international services. Almost completely written in Bulgarian, using Cyrillic script. The timetable map is diagrammatic and still shows a few lines that no longer have a passenger service. This can be very difficult to obtain, but a pocket-sized version "СЪКРАТЕНО РАЗПИСАНИЕ" with reduced detail is more generally available.
Engineering Information
Not known.
Maps
Printed Maps
- European Railway Atlas: Scandinavia and Eastern Europe by M.G. Ball (1993) (ISBN 0-7110-2072-4)
- European Railway Atlas by M.G. Ball (2008 onwards)
Web-based Maps
- Thorsten Büker's Map of Bulgaria with enlargements of Sofia and Gorna Orjahovica.
- A map is available on the Infrastructure Authority website
Infrastructure
Infrastructure Authority
The National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC), Национална компания "Железопътна инфраструктура" (НКЖИ).
Network Statement
The Network Statement page provides a downloadable Network Statement.
Gauge
Standard. The BDŽ line from Septemvri to Dobrinishte is 760 mm gauge.
Electrification
25 kV 50 Hz.
Rule of the road
Right.
Distances
Although the Network Statement Annex 2 allegedly contains "kilometric location of the stations and length of distances between stations along the railway network managed by NRIC (table 1.1)" and other useful information, it contains only 2 pages and there is no sign of these tables in either the English or Bulgarian language versions.
Other Railways
None.
Tourist Lines
None.
Metro
Sofia.
Trams
Sofia.
Recent and future changes
The journey planner contains trains between Kjustendil and Gjueshevo as at June 2014, following 6 months with none being shown.
Local services between Vidin and Calafat (Romania) [- Craiova] commenced on 10 May 2014. Long distance services are expected to start in December 2014. The combined road/rail bridge between Calafat and Vidin, now named "New Europe Bridge", was ceremonially opened to traffic on 14 June 2013.
A Sofia - Thessaloniki service was reintroduced from 10 May 2014, reopening the Kulata BDŽ - Promachon OSE border crossing to passenger traffic.
Much of the network is electrified, and more electrification is in progress. Electrification between Svilengrad and the border with Turkey was inaugurated on 9 May 2013, completing an electric route between the Serbian border and Istanbul.
The section of table 331 between Kremikovci and Jana via Obedinena lost its passenger service at the end of the 2008/2009 timetable period.
Special Notes
None.
