With the implementation of the investment project for doubling of sections along Plovdiv – Svilengrad railway line, as part of the First railway line (of the “high speed” category): Kalotina-West (state border with the Republic of Serbia) – Sofia – Plovdiv – Dimitrovgrad – Svilengrad (state borders with the Republic of Greece and the Republic of Turkey), the capacity of the railway line will be increased to accommodate the growing traffic, attract more international cargo and promote passenger transport by rail. Doubling the capacity of the railway line will reduce operating costs and ensure greater safety for train traffic. Funding for the project is provided by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). The objective of the technical assistance project, within the scope of the railway line Krumovo-Svilengrad- border with the Republic of Turkey, is to optimise the results of the previous and related developments, by updating the parameters and construction values and achieving project readiness (technical design, coordination, approvals, permits, etc.) for the railway section doubling.

Project implementation will result in:

• Increased competition in the transport market through improved quality of rail services;
• Increase throughput;
• Maintaining the railway track parameters achieved to ensure the design speed of 160 km/h;

Материалът “Preparation of spatial plans and technical design for the project “Doubling of sections of the railway line Krumovo – Svilengrad – Turkish border” е публикуван за пръв път на „ЕВРОТРАНСПРОЕКТ“ ООД.

The railway section is part of the Orient/East-Med Corridor and is located on the main Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The main objective of the project is to improve the technical parameters of the railway line and to implement new signalling and telecommunication systems, to improve travel comfort and rail transport capacity.

With regard to the railway infrastructure, the following results will be achieved: an increase in design speed; improvement of the existing geometry of the railway track; reconstruction and/or construction of new drainage facilities; modernisation of catenary facilities, construction of external LED lighting of station areas; construction of bi-level crossing facilities; construction of noise protection barriers reducing noise levels in urban areas, and construction of fences preventing passage through the station areas. Also, modernisation of signalling and telecommunication systems and introduction of advanced passenger information systems; construction of a network of CCTV systems at critical locations and railway infrastructure areas.

The implementation of the project will lead to the elimination of socio-economic disparities of the region with other regions subject to planning. It will help achieve economic and social cohesion in the regional development of the country.

Материалът <strong>“Preparation of technical design and spatial development plans for the project “Modernisation of Mezdra – Medkovets railway section”</strong> е публикуван за пръв път на „ЕВРОТРАНСПРОЕКТ“ ООД.

The subject of the modernisation is a high speed rail in the direction Sofia – Petarch – Dragoman – border with the Republic of Serbia, which will serve the population, domestic and international freight traffic. The project will ensure interoperability of infrastructure, equipment, control, operation and safety systems, as well as connectivity with European rail networks through the application of unified standards. The modernisation of the railway line Sofia – Petarch – Dragoman – border with the Republic of Serbia will provide the necessary capacity, will facilitate the provision of rail services in accordance with the requirements of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and will attract more international cargo and promote passenger transport by rail.

Funding for the project “Modernisation of the railway section Dragoman – border with the Republic of Serbia” will be provided by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).

The objective of the technical assistance project, within the scope of the railway line Sofia – Dragoman – border with the Republic of Serbia, is to optimise the results of the preparation carried out under the Operational Programme Transport and Transport Infrastructure by updating the parameters and values of the preliminary design for the railway section Dragoman – border with the Republic of Serbia and achieving project readiness (technical design, coordination, approvals, permits, etc.) for the modernisation of the railway sections.

Материалът <strong>“Preparation of spatial development plans and technical design for the project “Modernisation of the railway section Dragoman – border with the Republic of Serbia”</strong> е публикуван за пръв път на „ЕВРОТРАНСПРОЕКТ“ ООД.

Sofia – Voluyak railway section is part of the project “Development of Sofia Railway Junction”. It belongs to the Orient/East-Med Corridor, railway line Vidin – Sofia – Burgas / border with the Republic of Turkey; Sofia – Thessaloniki – Athens / Piraeus, according to Part 1.2 of Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1316/2013. The main project is also directly linked to other major railway modernisation projects next to Sofia Railway Junction, its development being of key importance for the Transcontinental Lines in the region. It plays a significant role in the development of the corridor, as without major railway junctions along the main corridors, the continuous operation of the long-distance network cannot be achieved. Sofia is the largest railway junction in Bulgaria and is the starting point of most rail destinations, therefore its development has the highest priority for the country.

The overall objectives of the project are:

• Integration of the national transport network into the European transport network. The lines within Sofia Railway Junction shall be modernised in accordance with all interoperability requirements for the infrastructure, equipment, control, operation and safety systems, as required by Directive 2008/57/EC and its subsequent amendments.
• Development of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and the Orient/East-Med Corridor of the main network.
• Creating conditions for an increase in the volume of freight carried along the line as a result of the improvement of the line parameters in terms of speed, travel time, capacity and reliability of the service.
• Shifting freight from road to rail, resulting in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, i.e. reducing the negative impact of transport on the environment as a whole.
• Facilitating the development of important economic centres of the South Central and South West regions of Bulgaria along the line, which will contribute to the implementation of plans to achieve economic and social cohesion in regional development.
• Modernisation of significant infrastructure elements of national and international importance related to other major infrastructure projects in the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T)- construction of the new combined road and rail bridge over the Danube River at Vidin – Calafat, the railway tunnel under the Bosphorus in Istanbul, modernisation of Calafat – Craiova line in Romania.
• Dispersing passenger flows by opening new stations with convenient connections to mass public transport and increasing the capacity and building additional tracks (at least one per section).
• Ensuring the modernisation of the railway infrastructure of Sofia Railway Junction, which will lead to an improvement of the railway track operation in the region of the capital and the adjacent territory.
• Improving the technical parameters and operational speed in the area of the railway junction, including creating conditions for optimal combination and integration of different modes of transport, optimising the capacity and efficiency of the existing railway lines.

Материалът <strong>“Design and construction for modernisation of the track layout of Sofia Central Station and Sofia Central Station – Voluyak railway section for the project “2014-BG-TMC-0133-W – Development of Sofia Railway Junction: Sofia – Voluyak railway section”</strong> е публикуван за пръв път на „ЕВРОТРАНСПРОЕКТ“ ООД.

The project, which is an intersection of part of the trans-European and main national transport axes, aims at the construction of a competitive railway infrastructure that meets the EU challenges for the development of a comprehensive trans-European transport network consisting of infrastructure for rail transport, inland waterways, road, sea and air transport, thus ensuring the better functioning of the internal market and strengthening economic and social cohesion.

Plovdiv Railway Junction is part of the Orient/East-Med Corridor, which connects the North, Baltic, Black and Mediterranean Seas, thus optimising the use of the ports and maritime highways concerned. It includes the River Elbe as an inland waterway and will improve multimodal connections between Northern Germany, the Czech Republic, the Pannonian region and South-Eastern Europe. The corridor continues across the Mediterranean from Greece to Cyprus. The junction is the crossing point of the lines Sofia – Svilengrad (1st railway line), Plovdiv – Burgas (8th railway line), Filipovo – Panagyurishte (81st railway line) and Filipovo – Karlovo (82nd railway line). The scope of the project includes design and construction and installation works for the modernisation of the railway track, facilities (including underpasses, overpasses and passenger gangways), catenary and signalling and telecommunication systems along Plovdiv-Krumovo and Plovdiv-Skutare railway sections, including Plovdiv Shunting Yard, Krumovo and Skutare stations and Trakia junction station. During the implementation of the planned modernisation works of the signalling and telecommunication systems, the Route-Relay Centralisation (RRC) at Skutare and Trakia will be replaced by a Route Computer Centralisation (RCC) with LED signals, axle counters and new point machines, new main and backup power supply.

Материалът <strong>“Modernisation of the railway track, catenary and signalling and telecommunication systems along Plovdiv-Krumovo and Plovdiv-Skutare railway sections, including Plovdiv Shunting Yard, Krumovo and Skutare stations and Trakia junction station” under the project “Development of Plovdiv Railway Junction”</strong> е публикуван за пръв път на „ЕВРОТРАНСПРОЕКТ“ ООД.

The project covers the open track section Hitrino – Pliska, which is located on the ninth main railway line Ruse – Kaspichan.

It provides for restoration of the normal operation in the open track section from km 110+781 to km 129+161 with a length of 18,380 m and reaching the design speed Vd=80km/h. The project also includes:

• mechanised renewal of the track grid (rails and sleepers),
• mechanised screening of the ballast prism,
• construction of new ditches;
• cleaning and rehabilitation of drainage facilities, hard shoulders, berms and slopes,
• strengthening, grouting and lining of existing stone retaining walls,
• major clearance and removal of shrubs and trees.

Материалът <strong>“Mechanised renewal of the railway track in the open track section Hitrino – Pliska from km 110+781 to km 129+161 with a length of 18,380 m”</strong> е публикуван за пръв път на „ЕВРОТРАНСПРОЕКТ“ ООД.

The implementation of the projects for the modernisation of the railway lines Sofia – Pernik – Radomir and Radomir – Gyueshevo – border with the Republic of North Macedonia with a total length of 139 km will help achieve better conditions for the transportation of passengers and freight in the respective region of Bulgaria, fulfilling the commitments made by the Repupublic of Bulgaria for the development of the railway infrastructure, fulfilling the European standards in accordance with the EU policy and the stable development of the Trans-European Transport Networks. The aim of the project within the scope of the railway line Radomir – Gyueshevo – border with the Republic of North Macedonia is to optimise the results of the preparation carried out under the ISPA programme by updating the parameters and values of the preliminary design for Radomir – Gyueshevo railway section and achieving project readiness (technical design, coordinations, approvals, permits, etc.) for the modernisation of the railway sections Radomir – Gyueshevo and Gyueshevo – border with the Republic of Macedonia.

Материалът <strong>“Preparation of the project “Modernisation of the railway line Radomir – Gyueshevo – border with the Republic of North Macedonia”, Lot No 1 “Optimisation and update of feasibility studies and preliminary design for the modernisation of Radomir – Gyueshevo railway section, preliminary design for Gyueshevo – border with the Republic of North Macedonia railway section and preparation of a Detailed Development Plan and technical design for the modernisation of Radomir – Gyueshevo and Gyueshevo- border with the Republic of North Macedoniarailway sections”</strong> е публикуван за пръв път на „ЕВРОТРАНСПРОЕКТ“ ООД.

The project is a continuation of the technical assistance for the development of the following railway infrastructure sites:

• Sofia – Dragoman railway line;
• Sofia – Pernik – Radomir railway line;
• Sofia Railway Junction and;
• Burgas Railway Junction, provided by the European Commission under the ISPA Measure and Financing Memorandum No 2006/BG/16/P/PA/002 – “Technical assistance for the Modernisation of Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) railway lines in Bulgaria” and Financing Memorandum No 2005/BG/16/P/PA/004 – “Technical assistance for the modernisation of railway sections of Plovdiv – Burgas and Mezdra – Gorna Oryahovitsa railway lines”.

Sofia Railway Junction is part of the south-eastern axis identified in the report on the extension of the main trans-European axes to neighbouring countries and regions of the High-Level Group chaired by Loyola de Palacio, 2005, and is part of the TINA network and its development is of the highest priority for the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Bulgaria in the development of transport infrastructure.

Материалът <strong>“Preparation of a Detailed Development Planand technical design for the modernisation of railway sections” per lots: for Lot 3: Preparation of Detailed Development Plan and technical design for modernisation of railway sections: “Poduyane Station – Birimirtsi Station”, “Birimirtsi Station – Poduyane Shunting Yard”, “Sofia Station – Elin Pelin Station” and “Kazichene Station – Ravno Pole Station – Stolnik Station”, for the project “Development of Sofia Railway Junction”</strong> е публикуван за пръв път на „ЕВРОТРАНСПРОЕКТ“ ООД.