Two more new Alstom electric trains hit the tracks today — on the Sofia-Vidin and Sofia-Burgas lines, Bulgarian Railways (BDZ) said. That brings the total number of new trains carrying passengers to four, each named after a Bulgarian river: Danube, Maritsa, Iskar and Struma.
The Burgas train leaves Sofia Central Station today on fast train No. 3625 at 4:45pm. Tomorrow, 27 September, it heads back from Burgas at 5:25am on fast train No. 3620 to Sofia.
It's the first time a new Alstom train will run on the Vidin line — train No. 7624 leaves Sofia Central Station at 5:15pm. On the morning of 28 September, the train will make the return trip on fast train No. 7621, leaving Vidin at 4:50am.
The new trains are Alstom Coradia Stream models, bought under a contract between the transport ministry and the BULEMU consortium, paid for with money from the Recovery and Resilience Plan. Under the deal, BDZ will get 35 single-deck electric trains with zero harmful emissions in total, and the company will maintain them for the next 15 years.
Each train has six carriages and 325 seats in first and second class combined. The floor is low, making it easier to get on board, and special ramps help people with reduced mobility. There's room for bikes and prams, plus luggage racks.
The trains have air conditioning, a system that announces stops out loud, screens showing passenger information, power sockets and USB ports for charging electric bikes. They're also set up for Wi-Fi.
The trains also have CCTV cameras, security systems and sensors that count how many passengers get on board.
Each new train is named after a river, waterfall or spring in Bulgaria. The trains also carry a QR code — scan it with your phone and it brings up photos and information about Bulgaria's rivers, waterfalls and springs.
BTA notes that the first two Alstom trains started running on 1 September and serve the Plovdiv-Svilengrad, Plovdiv-Asenovgrad, Svilengrad-Sofia and Sofia-Pernik lines.