Acquaintance with the Bulgarian State Railways (Bulgarski d'arzhavni railway station). Bulgaria Railway Tickets and train discounts
Traveling by train in Bulgaria is a unique experience for both the traveler and the railway fan. In this mountainous Balkan country, an extensive network of passenger lines has been preserved, allowing you to get by train to almost any, even the most remote locality high in the mountains. Trains and carriages are usually old, rickety and not very clean, and the average age of the rolling stock is clearly older than you and me. But that's part of the color too! Add to this the fantastic Balkan mountains, gorges, waterfalls and snowy peaks along the way and you get a real highlight on the map of southern Europe. Unfortunately, all this will not last long - the Bulgarian railways (like the neighboring Greek ones) are extremely inefficient and unprofitable. At the same time, travel costs mere pennies, since the BJ is completely and completely subsidized by the state. Without a doubt, in the very near future, the number of lines will be reduced and the three or five main lines between the major cities of the country will remain. Hurry while all this exotic still exists.
Take a look at how extensive the railway network is in this small country. And don't forget that there are mountains! Almost the entire country is two ridges of the Balkan mountains, stretching parallel to each other from the border with Serbia and Macedonia and to the Black Sea -
Today we fly from Bulgaria, but late in the evening. And so we decided to ride in some interesting place not far from Sofia in order to have time to return to the plane. Why not visit the small town of Vratsa, 80km north of Sofia, which is interesting for its ice cave, a waterfall and mountains literally towering over it like a wall? This is a bunch of scenic routes for walking and hiking. We'll go there.
In principle, tickets can be purchased in advance through the Bulgarian Railway website BDZ, but there is not much point in this. Trains are rarely full and there are no problems with buying at the box office. As well as the queues in front of the box office does not happen. Sofia train station is huge and has long fallen short of the relatively modest number of people using it -
There are usually no people near the ticket office, as many people prefer to buy a ticket from the conductor, while others have travel cards. Most Bulgarians using trains are people who live somewhere in the suburbs and travel to Sofia for work.
In recent years, the station has been brought to mind, it has become clean and comfortable. When I first came here in 2000, everything was bad: dirt, homeless people, stalls on every corner, pickpockets. Thrash, in a word. Having been here once, I didn't want to come back. Now everything is different -
An underground passage to the paths where gypsies lived in whole camps a decade and a half ago, and now Europe is right -
But the trains for the most part have not changed and are still mostly old, painted with graffiti and not very clean inside. Let's take a ride and take a closer look -
Old German cars, produced back in the seventies -
Creepy transitions, dirty and frankly smelly -
The inside is quite comfortable, the ventilation works fine. However, in October it is still quite warm and the windows still open during the ride -
This is our ticket, it is for three and costs 16.50 leva (8 euros) in total -
Rules for traveling by rail, hanging in each car. You can practice your Bulgarian -
As you rightly guessed, toilets are a weak point in Bulgarian trains. They are as tired of life as the carriages themselves. Take it for granted and if you are an esthete - try to relieve yourself before the trip. But if it's "scorched", then you can try -
None of the cars (well, I looked into three of the seven) did not have a working drain or tap for washing hands. There is no paper anywhere either. From this moral - take care of wet wipes for hands and toilet paper.
The door separating the car from the locomotive pulling us is not fixed in any way and is tied to a rope -
At each stop, the conductor opens the door, looks out, and if he does not see the hurrying passengers, then he waves his hand to the driver, they say, let's go -
On the outskirts of Sofia, abandoned factories stretch -
But in half an hour, picturesque mountains and picturesque villages begin -
In the mountains it is noticeably cooler than in the capital and it starts to rain a little -
The stations are almost all old and many of them are completely empty. We stop, a couple of people come out and immediately move on -
And some stations are completely abandoned. Bulgaria is going through the worst demographic crisis of our time, its population, which was exactly 10 million in 1989, today reduced to 7 million due to low birth rates and mass migration to Western Europe. In the capital of the country, Sofia, as well as in Varna and Plovdiv, the decline in population is felt to a lesser extent. Because the people of the countryside leave their villages and go to the city. But now the provincial towns and villages are dying out before our eyes, as well as their railway stations. It's a sad sight
Mezdra is a fairly large hub city in the northwest of the country. Well, how big? Under communism, about twenty thousand people lived here, today there are not even ten thousand. Here we have a 20-minute stop, recoupling the locomotive. It's time to take a walk and see the station -
The most common locomotive in Bulgaria is the good old Skoda -
I said above that our locomotive is being recoupled. This is not entirely accurate. The locomotive just drove in from the other side and will now pull us in the other direction. At first, a few kilometers back, where we came from, but then we will go west, to the city of Vratsa -
Mezdra railway station with a waiting room -
Ticket offices -
Colorful schedules, still manually set -
Around poverty and decay -
A passing train from Varna on the Black Sea to Sofia -
So today I am the leader of the "expedition", it's true -
Vratsa is located fifteen kilometers west of Mezdra, it takes about twenty minutes to drive and here we are. And our train departs to the north, towards the city of Vidin on the banks of the Danube -
Inside the station, there is mystical darkness and the smell of lack of repair, which is a collection of dust, unclean bodies, a refreshing breeze from a public toilet and ... sandwiches. Romance!
But the schedules here, unlike Mezdra, are electronic -
I will tell you about this cool town and its sights separately.
"I do not want! I won't! It is obsolete!” - with such cries, I launched a blue dress straight into my friend laughing at me. This is how much fun we packed our suitcases on our Bulgarian vacation. This was followed by a fashion show in swimsuits and pillow fights. Why start a story about the railroad with mentions of my wardrobe? Yes, because Bulgarian trains are as obsolete as my silk dress. I got out of the situation by adding a beautiful necklace and heeled sandals to the outfit. True, I moved on them like a paralyzed grasshopper. But this is a completely different story ... The Bulgarian railway workers also went the same way. Instead of sending the old trains to hell and completely replacing the rolling stock with new models, they simply refurbished the seats on the trains and added new sleeping cars. But let's move on from dresses and lyrics to practice. Today I will tell you all about the railways in Bulgaria.
Railways in Bulgaria, what are they
The state-owned company "Bulgarski d'arzhavni zhelezniki" (BDZh) provides its services for the transport of passengers throughout most of the territory of Bulgaria. Why for the most part? Yes, because many towns and villages do not have stations. And sometimes, to get to the desired point, you have to make several transfers.
Trains, as you already understood, come from the USSR. They are repaired from time to time, but they clearly do not reach the title of "European". However, the upside is the price of the tickets. Traveling around Bulgaria can be quite budgetary.
Bulgaria has international connections with Turkey, Greece, Serbia and Romania. You can see the schedule here.
First of all, I want to talk a little about the categories of trains, so that you have an idea on what and under what conditions you will have to go to one or another town.
Categories of Bulgarian trains
The local population does not bother with the detailed division of trains into categories, so any Bulgarian will say that there are only three types of trains:
- regular local;
- fast local;
- Express, following popular tourist routes.
I think this information will not be enough for you. Well, I'll be a good girl and try to tell you about all the categories of Bulgarian trains in the world.
Types of wagons
There are no countless numbers in Bulgaria various types wagons, as in Italy, for example (if you want to read about the railway of this country, then click). Everything is extremely simple here - seating cars and sleeping cars. Here I will tell about them.
seated wagons
Most of the trains in Bulgaria are daytime, and therefore the vast majority of cars are seated. They look like this.
This is daytime seated trains with compartment divisions.
.jpg)
As you can see, there is a small corridor, the passenger seats are separated from it by glass doors. The compartment has two rows of soft seats.
In the second class, there are eight seats in one compartment (two four-seater sofas opposite each other), and in the first - six (two sofas, consisting of three chairs each), there is a place for luggage, hooks for clothes and where to stretch your legs. :)
Purely theoretically, if no one else is driving in your compartment, you can take a horizontal position and fall asleep, because the handles between adjacent seats rise.
There is also day trains with shared carriages and without division into compartments.
Armchairs in them are arranged according to the "2 + 2" scheme. Such compositions look like this.
sleeping cars
They can only be found on night flights. Fortunately, old-fashioned carriages with six shelves and shabby walls are a thing of the past. Because there is nothing good about them. Three shelves on each side and you can neither sit down normally nor stand up. There are, of course, carriages with SV-class compartments, where there are only two shelves, but this is also a dubious pleasure.
And waiting for you in the old trains is such a gloomy corridor. And if two people are walking towards each other, then an attempt to miss each other can become a very intimate act. :)
Old-school trains are gradually being replaced by new comfortable trains.
Here I will tell you about them, because if you go by night train, then most likely it is in these trains. Sleeping cars are divided into three classes:
- in the business class, the compartment is designed for one person;
- in the first class - for two passengers;
- and in the second, respectively, for three travelers.
At the entrance to the car we are met by a video camera. The corridor itself is very narrow and uncomfortable. The compartment is small and clean.
There are a lot of different sensors and buttons for controlling lighting, sound, launching nuclear weapons.
Hooks to hang your outfits. And a ladder for those lucky enough to travel on the second and third shelf.
There is a washbasin, towels and sockets.
The toilet is also European format. Well, more or less European...
There is even a shower.
Of the minuses, it should be mentioned that the sockets can be broken, there will be no water in the taps, and only one of the two toilets located in the car will work - sadness. :(
It is worth remembering that such compartments are divided into men's and women's. If you plan to travel with your soul mate in a second-class compartment, be prepared for the fact that you will be settled in different compartments.
Actually, my knowledge about Bulgarian trains is over. Now I’ll talk about tickets, discounts on travel and options for purchasing travel cards.
Train tickets and discounts
There is very little information on the web regarding tickets. And a holiday spent in Bulgaria does not guarantee that you will become an expert in railway matters. It is best to refer to the official website of the railway. According to him, there are two categories of tickets: computer and blank.
Computer tickets
These e-tickets are purchased through the BZD website (I'll tell you how this can be done a little later). In addition to the classic information about the date of the trip, direction, train number, ticket price, there can be a lot of other designations on the travel card. For example:
- 1/2R-D- ticket for children from 7 to 10 years old.
- MG- ticket for a small group traveling in one direction.
- 1/2L-B- ticket for the elderly.
Honestly, it makes no sense to write and decipher all these designations, since you will not need them on a trip. But, if you want to be knowledgeable in everything, then keep going, by clicking on which you can find out all the necessary information.
Blank tickets
You can buy these tickets at the box office. They indicate:
- the name of the carrier;
- category and train number;
- wagon number and class;
- station of embarkation and disembarkation on the route of the passenger;
- ticket validity period;
- ticket number;
- travel date.
It is important to remember that the ticket is valid only for the train number for which it was issued. You cannot board another train in the same direction.
You can buy electronic tickets only for the routes indicated on the site. The point of departure and arrival must be selected in the tabs, which I marked with arrows.
Tickets can be purchased at the station ticket office for any destination.
When buying tickets online, you will only need documents to accurately enter all the data about passengers. And this is very important. At the station, the controller will check whether the information on the tickets matches the information on the ID card.
Note: if you buy tickets for express trains and international routes at the box office, then you must have your passport with you.
Travel discounts
The Bulgarian railway provides several types of different travel cards and cards, thanks to which you can save on travel. You can see their names in the screenshot.
So, here's who has the opportunity to travel cheaper:
- a passenger who bought a ticket in both directions at once;
- holders of a youth and classic travel card;
- regular customers of the BZD. You will fall into this category if you often use the services of the BDZ, several times a week, for example, for a fairly long period of time. In this case, you can count on discounts. But I’m talking more about useful things specifically for tourists who came to the country for a short time, so you can safely forget about this group of beneficiaries.
- groups of three to six people;
- student citizens of any country, under 26 years old, who travel in an organized group;
- children under the age of 7 (accompanied by an adult) travel free.
You can find all the more detailed and, most importantly, up-to-date information about the age of passengers and the amount of discounts on the BDZ website.
Inter Rail Pass
This pass allows you to travel by train free of charge for a certain period. The cost of Inter Rail in Bulgaria - from 50 EUR.
You can consider in more detail all the current prices, the periods of time during which the ticket is valid, here. And you can buy such a pass just by clicking on this link.
Buying tickets
There are three ways to buy tickets:
- at the register;
- at the conductor;
- on the BZD website.
I will tell you in more detail about each of the methods.
Purchase at the checkout
Tickets can be easily bought at the box office of the station: they understand Russian here. Tell the cashier the direction, date and time of departure, type and class of the wagon.
By the way, ticket offices are open mainly until 19:00, especially in small towns. Some stations do not have ticket offices.
Ticket sales for night trains end one hour before the train departure. In addition, passengers of night flights, when I was there, had to go to the ticket office before departure, and there the cashier manually wrote down the names and surnames of the travelers on a piece of paper, distributed who was traveling in which carriage and compartment.
Buying a train ticket
You can also buy tickets from the conductor. In some cases, tickets can even cost you less than at the box office. Just do not expect that you will pass a hare. The conductors pass the train more than once.
Buying tickets online
Meet the legend! The first online photo-instruction for buying tickets on the website of the Bulgarian Railways. Well, I want to believe that she is the first. And then at one time I scrolled through to the fifth page in a Google search and did not find anything. Here is a kind of exclusive material. Straight from the front. :)
First of all, you need to register on the site. To do this, fill out the following form, indicating:
- email;
- surname;
- phone number.
And immediately pay attention to the text that appears on the website of the railway company on the right. These are online tips that will help you when buying a ticket. By the way, few European railway sites can boast of such a feature.
When you go to the mail, you will see this message with a password. Your email will be your login.
Now we return to the site and go through the authorization procedure.
Now we have two possible flights: morning and evening. I prefer to travel at night, so I choose the train that leaves at 22:40. When you select a specific option, this block will turn blue.
Now we specify the type of place. I choose sleeping in a second-class carriage.
With a rectangle, I highlighted the form where you can choose the discount option (if it was issued in advance). At this stage, the final cost of the ticket is formed.
Now the fun part: choosing a location. I liked the 31st. I click on it and reserve in this way for myself.
Achtung! Here you need to be extremely careful and double-check all the data. If everything is ok, then choose the payment method.
Now we complete the payment process.
All that remains to be done is to sigh joyfully or sadly over the money deducted from the card, print the ticket and stomp with it to the station.
We figured out the purchase, now I will tell you about several interesting points regarding rail transport in Bulgaria.
Features of railways
There is nothing special that would distinguish Bulgarian railways from our domestic ones, but still you need to know something about:
Summary
In order to become a guru in the field of the Bulgarian railway, I need to go there a couple more times on vacation and replenish my knowledge box. But I hope that what I have said will help you in planning your vacation in sunny country.
Bon voyage, comfortable compartments and pleasant impressions from the rest!
Railways in Bulgaria there are far from everywhere, and no one is puzzled by the construction of new ones, exploiting the legacy of previous centuries.
A painted train at the station in Varna The first line was built between Ruse and Varna in 1865. Why so far from the capital? Because Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman Empire, and was not yet the capital. And it was already a large city, the most European in Bulgaria, although its true heyday began a little later. Later, other railway lines began to open, but not everywhere. With direct trains, things are also so-so - you have to get to many cities with one, or even two or three transfers, which, of course, is very inconvenient. But nothing, over time you get used to the fact that not every major city can be comfortably reached by rail in Bulgaria. Well, nothing, but there are buses.
Trains run not only in Bulgaria, but also abroad. Previously, the Moscow-Kyiv-Bucharest-Sofia train ran, and in the summer additional carriages were attached to it, which went to Varna and Burgas. Travel time - 2 days, the cost of a ticket in a compartment - 100 euros. It was a good time. Then, it seems, they launched a train that went from Moscow through all of Europe, long and expensive, but for a long time nothing was heard about it. It is possible that there were simply no people willing to pay for transit visas and spend 52 hours on a long and expensive journey.
Trains
We really liked the electric train On Russian websites you can read that the Bulgarian railways are morally outdated, and the rolling stock has not been updated for a long time. This is not entirely true. Along with well-deserved sitting cars, sleeping cars run - with cute compartments for 3 people, with washbasins, comfortable ladders, air conditioners and other delights. We traveled in such a compartment to Sofia in 2014 and were very pleased.
"Seated" cars we were terribly scolded. Say, it's incredibly dirty there, the smell, the contingent is somehow bad. However, we have very good impressions from the train Varna-Plovdiv, which strongly resembled the train to Hogwarts. But the cars following the Varna-Sofia route were much less liked - they resembled an ordinary electric train, however, with toilets and without sellers / singers / beggars. Tickets can be purchased first or second class. The whole difference is in the number of seats in the compartment: in the first class there are 6 of them, and in the second - 8. In principle, there is no tangible difference, as far as we can judge. The wagon class is written on the outside.
And between Dobrich and Varna, a very luxurious train runs with doors that open at the touch of a button and other delights. In it, by the way, stops are announced, unlike ordinary trains. And in general it is very cozy and beautiful, only the windows are dirty. In general, dirty windows are also typical for long-distance trains, but we got the impression that the rest of the cars are quite decent.
Stations
Empty station in Dobrich At the same time, the stations look quite run down. If Sofia or Plovdiv are normal, then in Dobrich the station is a rather sad Soviet-built building, where, judging by the evacuation scheme, a restaurant once worked and shops functioned, but today former luxury there were only chairs in the dusty waiting room and a couple of working cash desks. there is not even a normal scoreboard, only a dusty schedule. Varna station looks more cheerful, there are at least some cafes and kiosks. And Rousse made an indelible impression on us. A huge building with noisy and completely empty corridors, some mysterious nooks and crannies, giant compartments in a second-class carriage is designed for 8 people with empty halls and high ceilings. When we were there, the luggage room was closed for no reason, and all the toilets were locked, so we didn’t get fond of this station.
A serious problem of many railway stations and stations is the lack of aprons numbering. If there is only one platform in Dobrich, you can’t go wrong, but the lack of signs on the railway junctions can play a cruel joke, especially if you find yourself at this station for the first time, and there is no one to ask. We already had the experience of a little confusion - we got on the wrong train, but, fortunately, we left not far, everything was cleared up during the ticket check. By the way, tickets are constantly checked, the conductor runs on the train between all stations. If for some reason you could not buy a travel document in advance, the sleeping cars are very pleasant, there is air conditioning in every compartment, then the conductor will issue it for you.
All information about railways is collected on the BJ website - http://www.bdz.bg/bg/. Here you can find out the schedule, buy (book) tickets online, find out all kinds of news. There is also information about discounts. True, when we came to the station and began to ask for tickets, armed with this information, we were told that the discounts were invalid. Now we don’t remember what exactly was discussed, maybe we didn’t prepare properly. But while writing the article, we tried to buy an online ticket from Dobrich to - and nothing happened. It turns out that tickets from Dobrich are not sold online. Moreover, according to reviews, they are not sold online and from other cities. Such are the sudden surprises.
Ticket price
The cost of tickets is quite affordable, traveling by train is cheaper than by bus. But usually - longer, including due to transplants. Nevertheless, we like this way of traveling, if only for the reason that trains calmly travel through tunnels, and do not rush along mountain serpentines, risking falling into the abyss.
Discounts are offered for various reasons (information from the BC website, we cannot guarantee in any way that when buying a ticket it will not turn out that it is today and it is you who will be denied):
Leisure trips
In addition to normal trains, the Belarusian Railways also offers entertainment. This is interesting trips, which we will probably write about separately. By the way, about entertainment: in Ruse there is a museum of railway transport. We did not have time to visit there, which we are very sorry about, because there are quite interesting exhibits there.
You may also be interested in our other articles:
Vladimir Burakshaev
Here I will present photos of the rolling stock of the BDZ (Bulgarian Railway) taken in July 2017. I'll start with Sofia. Sofia has one large railway station, spawning trains to almost all parts of Bulgaria. The station is in many ways reminiscent of the Russian railway stations of the USSR era, which were built in large cities. Bulgarians don't call it a railway station, they say "zhelezoptna gara", and small stopping points in Bulgaria are called "spirka". Who will go, that can come in handy. The station has several high platforms and cul-de-sacs for suburban trains. Suburban trains are represented by new trains from the Siemens plant, which are quite comfortable, with working toilets and air conditioners. Passenger - mainly have in their composition seated cars with chairs. Moreover, there are chairs both in a common cabin (as in interregional cars plying across Russia), and in separate 3x3 compartments facing each other; compartments are separated from the corridor by glazed doors. I traveled in both of them, it practically did not affect the fare. By the way, the Bulgarian word for train is "vlak". Trains are designated as follows: KPV (kraygradski patnicheski vlak) - an analogue of our commuter train; PV (friday vlak) - runs through the territory of Bulgaria for distances up to 150 kilometers, with stops at all stations; BV (barz vlak) - faster and more comfortable trains serving routes over 200 kilometers long, with a small number of stops; RBV (byrz vlak with a long reservation) - fast trains with a preliminary reservation of tickets; MBV (international bjrz vlak) is an international fast train. (Based on materials from the site http://travelask.ru/bulgaria/vse-o-zheleznoy-doroge-bolgarii)
Like us, there are ticket offices inside the station that sell tickets for all departing trains. Tickets are still paper, with the BJ logo. Instead of a ticket, Bulgarians say "ticket card". If there is no direct train to the desired station, the ticket office will give you a ticket with a transfer, where both trains will be indicated. In the same place, on the basement floor of the station, there is a timetable. Departure in it is written "zaminavane", arrival - "pritigane". Passage to the trains on the platform - through the tunnel. At small stations like ours, there are pedestrian decks. Way in Bulgarian "kolovoz". And now the local Sofia features. On one track to the same platform, two trains going in opposite directions can be boarded at once. And the schedule shows, respectively, twice (opposite different trains) the same platform and track. Therefore, before boarding the car, you must carefully look at what is written on the route board of the car and the class of the car. Passenger trains can have cars of 1st and 2nd class, the class is marked with a number on the outer wall of the car. Electric trains (ER25) have cars of only 2 classes. The doors in many cars are opened by the passenger himself during a stop, using a handle, and they close automatically. For driving passenger trains, far from new, but very reliable electric locomotives are used, outwardly very reminiscent of the ChS2 of Soviet railways. Only these were AC, while ChS2 were DC. Shunting works in Sofia are carried out by small shunting electric locomotives. The train Sofia - Burgas with sleeping cars regularly appears at the Sofia station. Very convenient for those who leave Sofia in the evening to arrive in Bourgas in the morning. I didn't ride in it. They say that there are not 2 but 3 shelves in a compartment, located one above the other. There are also two steam locomotives at the Sofia railway station - a monument. One - a tank locomotive stands on the forecourt (on the side of the building), the other - narrow gauge - inside the station, on the first floor.
Tank locomotive in Sofia near the railway station.
Narrow-gauge steam locomotive with a carriage on the first floor of the Sofia railway station.
Passenger train at the Sofia station.
Another, slightly less common electric locomotive at the head of a local train.
An electric locomotive performing shunting work at the Sofia railway station: removes the cars of one of the arriving trains.
Since 1998, the metro has been operating in Sofia, which operates cars of the Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant, models 81-717.4 / 714.4 and 81-740.2 / 741.2 (known in Russia as "Rusich"). There are few of the first, mostly "Rusichi" come across. But while there is a chance to ride, if you stand, wait. Feelings - as in the native Moscow metro, as if he had not left anywhere. On the this moment The subway has two lines, a third is under construction.
Station "Letishche (airport) Sofia" with electric train model 81-717.4/714.4.
Electric train 81-717.4/714.4 at the Lomsko highway station.
Electric train model 81-740.2/741.2 at the Lomsko highway station.
In addition to Sofia, I visited other stations, including Mezdra, Tsareva Livada, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Ruse, Varna, Karbonat, Burgas. Among the three main railway lines that cross Bulgaria, the most picturesque is the middle one, where there are flat and mountainous sections.
Electric locomotive performs maneuvers at Mezdra station.
Passenger train from cars 2 and 1 class in Mezdra.
Another locomotive-monument was found at the Tsareva Livada station.
Passenger train at Tsareva Livada station.
In a passenger train car.
At the railway station in Varna.
Diesel locomotive of the Lugansk plant with the train Varna - Dobrich at the Varna railway station. In the USSR, they are known as TE109 and were also used, but in very limited quantities.
Shunting diesel locomotive at the Kommunary station.
Electric locomotives at Karnobat station.
At the railway station in Burgas.
There are Soviet-built track cars on the Bulgarian Railway. In particular, railcars DM.
A serious problem for the BJ is the local graffiti artists. Unfortunately, you don't often see an absolutely clean train in Bulgaria. On purpose, graffiti artists tend to leave their mark on everything that moves and that stands in a dead end. Fighting them is not very successful.
Separately, I will tell you about the trip on the narrow-gauge railway Septemvri - Dobrinishte (Dobrinishte). This is the only widely known narrow-gauge railway in Bulgaria. Track width 760 mm. The road was built in stages: in 1922, the first section of Septemvri - Velingrad was launched, and the last section - Bansko - Dobrinishte was opened in 1945. The route passes through mountain ranges Rila and Rhodopes, 35 tunnels and several viaducts were built on its route. The length of the road is 120 kilometers, a passenger train covers this distance in 5 hours. The line has Romanian-made diesel locomotives used for driving trains, there are two diesel locomotives of the Kambarsky Machine-Building Plant, similar to Russian TU7. Kambarsky diesel locomotive can be caught taking out those who arrived from the flight passenger cars from the platform to the depot. Occasionally, at the request of tourists, retro steam-powered trains are launched on the narrow gauge railway. For this purpose, several narrow-gauge steam locomotives are maintained and maintained in the Septemvri depot.
Depot Septemvri. On the right is a Soviet-built narrow-gauge diesel locomotive of the Kambarsky plant.
Yakoruda station. At the station - a passenger train to Septemvri. The structure includes new comfortable carriages with soft seats and working toilets. I have never seen such a thing on Russian narrow-gauge railways. But nevertheless, our relatives, Russian narrow-gauge railways are still miles.
Razlog station.
Bansko station. From here, the last stretch to Dobrinishte remains.
Train station and hydrocolumn at Bansko station.
Bansko. Abandoned steam locomotive.
Bansko. By Russian standards, this is a province. However, the situation is very unusual for the province, as it is not all Russian. I can’t imagine a town or a village in the region without wooden huts with chimneys, with rickety fences, with flowers on the windowsills and broken roads, sagging, almost to the windows, into the ground. Such is the difference, although Bulgaria is a former socialist, friendly country.
From Bansko you can go by bus to Sofia, it will be faster than by trains through Septemvri, or you can return by narrow gauge railway to Septemvri and continue by train east to Plovdiv.
