No solution has been found for three years for the construction of the longest railway tunnel in Bulgaria - the one to Vakarel. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov during an inspection of the three sections of the Elin Pelin - Kostenets railway route. The Chairman of the Committee on Transport and Communications in the National Assembly, Kiril Dobrev, also participated in the inspection.
„Obviously, there is a long delay and countless problems that have been postponed over time by previous ministers. Strengthening activities began three years ago, which have had an effect, but not completely. This requires a third design, which is currently being implemented and the builder states that there are no deformations so far. We expect to know by the end of May whether it is operational“, explained Deputy Prime Minister Karadjov.
“The limits for unforeseen work activities have been reached, which means that they were used jointly with the European program that finances it, as well as with an annex concluded a year ago. The resources have already been exhausted and if we do not find an urgent solution, the continuation of this site is practically at stake“, said Grozdan Karadjov.
He noted that according to preliminary data, this is a very serious revision of the project, and a new procedure will probably be necessary, which will be carried out without stopping work on the existing tunnels. The physical progress of the entire section is 40%. “We are trying to solve the puzzle in such a way as to fit into the deadlines, because the funds under the European program are until 2030. The goal is in 2029. to put the tunnel into operation so that trains can travel faster“, added the Minister of Transport. Grozdan Karadjov pointed out that urgent action is required as soon as possible to find a legal and financial solution.
Minister Karadjov and the Chairman of the Transport Committee in the National Assembly Kiril Dobrev also got acquainted on site with the construction of the second section between Ihtiman and Mirovo. “Unlike lot 1, where there are serious problems, there are no such problems on lot 2. The lot is being implemented on time and the route will be ready by 2028“, emphasized the Minister.
Regarding the third section between Mirovo and Kostenets, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that work on the route is going well. “We have about 30% implementation under extremely difficult working conditions and with extremely complex facilities. These are eight single-tube tunnels with a very large diameter, so that two railway lines can be built inside. There are also 11 bridge structures and two viaducts. By all indicators so far, this will most likely be a functioning railway line by the end of 2029,“ said the Deputy Prime Minister.
During the inspections, Minister Karadjov discussed with the builders that the delay of two to three years after concluding contracts for infrastructure projects is due to complex administrative procedures. These include expropriation of properties, court appeals, issuance of construction and environmental permits, as well as EIA. These processes require time to coordinate and finalize the project documentation.
“One of the goals I have set for myself is to simplify the procedures so that infrastructure construction can be completed within four, maximum five years. Currently, there is not enough time, even to start the actual construction work. "Some of the sites were in tender procedures in 2018-2019. Now it's 2025 and there has only been real work here for a little over a year. All the other time has been lost in numerous slow procedures," Karadjov said.