Bulgaria - Lines with Obscure or Sparse passenger services
Introduction
This list is based on the timetable period 11 December 2022 to 9 December 2023 unless otherwise stated. Standard abbreviations used are explained in the General Information document. Trains running only certain days of the week are shown using ISO 8601 weekday numbers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_week_date )
Map references for each route entry are given in parentheses ( ). References prefixed "ERA-E" refer to the European Railway Atlas (All-Europe Edition) by M.G. Ball. References prefixed "ERA-R" refer to the European Railway Atlas (Regional Series - Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova) by M.G. Ball. Note the transliterations used in these maps to Latin characters do not always correspond with the current BDŽ English station names.
Obscure services
Mezdra Avoiding Line: Mezdra-Jug – Ruska Bjala
[200, 700] (ERA-E 110B3; ERA-R 243C2) BG23/1
This route is used by fast trains between Sofia and Vraca not reversing at Mezdra.
| 7620 | Sofia - 08:50 Zverino - Vidin | ||
| 7623 | Vidin - 15:32 Vraca - Sofia | ||
| 7625 | Vidin - 20:37 Vraca - Sofia |
(Plovdiv –) Filipovo – Skutare
[800] (ERA-E 110A3; ERA-R 248B5) BG23/2
Most trains between Plovdiv and Skutare (and onwards to Mihajlovo) run via a shorter, easterly route via Trakija. After a break of several years, some local trains started using the route to the west and north of Plovdiv via Filipovo in the 2021/2022 timetable. The 2022-23 timetable shows the following trains via this route.
| Ord 80101 | Plovdiv - 05:05 Filipovo - Jambol | ||
| Fast 8631 | Plovdiv - 07:10 Filipovo - Varna | ||
| Ord 80105 | Plovdiv - 14:35 Filipovo - Burgas | ||
| Ord 80107 | Plovdiv - 16:45 Filipovo - Jambol | ||
| Ord 80112 | Stara Zagora - 09:07 Skutare - Plovdiv | ||
| Ord 80100 | Jambol - 12:23 Skutare - Plovdiv |
(Sofia –) Cherepish – Lyuti brod (– Mezdra)
[200] (ERA-E 110B3, not shown; ERA-R 243C2, not shown) BG23/3
Between Lyuti brod and Cherepish the two tracks are on very different alignments for over a kilometre and are up to 170 metres apart. Indeed for a time the tracks are on opposite sides of the river Iskar.
Trams
See Bulgaria - Tram services over obscure routes
Other sparse services
The following lines have few trains (relative to service levels generally in this country) - fewer than three trains each way on at least three days a week - or do not run each weekday:
| 100 | Dragoman - Dimitrovgrad (Serbia) | One train pair daily |
| 102 | Svilengrad - Kapıkule (Turkey) | One train pair daily |
| 228 | (Poveljanovo -) Dobrich - Kardam | Two train pairs daily |
| 400 | Ruse - Giurgiu Nord (Romania) | One train pair daily |
| 401 | Dimitrovgrad - Kardzhali | Two train pairs daily |
| 500 | Kulata - Promachon (Greece) | Service currently suspended |
| 600 | (Sofia –) Volujak – Razmenna – Pernik-Razpredelitelna (– Pernik) | Two train pairs daily |
| 600 | Gjueshevo - Kjustendil | Two train pairs WSSuO |
| 700 | Vidin - Golenti (Romania) | One train pair daily |
Deletions since previous edition
| BG22/3 | (Sofia –) Volujak – Razmenna – Pernik-Razpredelitelna (– Pernik) | The service is readily identifiable on maps and in table 600. Moved to Other Sparse Services |
| BG22/4 | (Sofia –) Razmenna – Kopanica | Diversionary route only, no recorded use since 2017 |
| BG22/6 | (Sofia –) Ilijanci – Jana – Stolnik | The service is readily identifiable on maps and in table 300. Three services eastbound, four westbound. |
