The modernisation of a 51 km section of railway line between Elin Pelin and Kostenets will help to complete a high-speed rail connection between Bulgaria’s capital Sofia and Plovdiv, the country’s second largest city. Once the entire railway line upgrade is complete, passengers will be able to travel between the two cities in under 80 minutes at speeds of up to 160 km/h (120km/h for freight). This project is due for completion in 2023 and runs in parallel with another project on a continuation of the line (funded by CEF) to upgrade the track between Kostenets and Septemvri.
- 22 June 2018
The Sofia-Plovdiv route is a key element of the Bulgarian railway network and forms part of the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) corridor which links the rest of Europe with Asia. The EU is investing billions of Euros in TEN-T to upgrade transport infrastructures so that people and goods can travel more easily in and between Member States.
Quicker than road
Thanks to the completion of this scheme, passengers and freight will be able to travel between Bulgaria’s two main cities faster and more safely. As well as removing bottlenecks on the line, these works offer an advantage for the environment as the modernised route will encourage people to leave their cars at home and use less polluting public transport options. In the same way, the improvements should encourage freight companies to consider using the line to transport goods.
Other sections of the Sofia-Plovdiv line have been upgraded thanks to co-financing from EU funding instruments in the period 2007-2013.
Culture and tourism
Elin Pelin lies about 24 km south east of Sofia and has a population of around 7 500. The town was previously named Novoseltsi but was renamed in 1950 in honour of the writer, Elin Pelin, who was born in a nearby village. The local area is an important centre for the Shopi people, a Bulgarian ethnic sub-group. Since the 1970s, the town has hosted regular celebrations of Shopi culture.
Kostenets has a population of about 10 000 and lies 70 km from the Bulgarian capital. The area draws in tourists who are attracted by the scenery, recreational opportunities and abundance of spa resorts which exploit local thermal mineral springs.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Modernisation of the Sofia - Plovdiv railway line: railway section Elin Pelin - Kostenets” is EUR 665 330 627, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 471 538 621 through the “Transport and Transport Infrastructure” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “TEN-T Railways”.