Railways of Bulgaria: useful information, how to buy tickets, descriptions of trains, personal experience. Railways in Bulgaria Railways in Bulgaria
Vladimir Burakshaev
Here I will present photographs of the rolling stock of the Bulgarian Railway, taken in July 2017. I'll start with Sofia. Sofia has one large train station, providing trains to almost all parts of Bulgaria. The station resembles in many ways Russian train stations era of the USSR, built in large cities. Bulgarians do not call it a train station, they call it “zhelezoptna gara”, and small stopping points in Bulgaria are called “spirka”. Whoever goes, it may come in handy. The station has several high platforms and dead ends for commuter trains. Suburban trains are represented by new trains manufactured by Siemens, quite comfortable, with working toilets and air conditioning. Passenger carriages mainly consist of seated carriages with chairs. Moreover, the chairs come in both general salon(both in interregional carriages running across Russia) and in separate 3x3 compartments facing each other; compartments are separated from the corridor by glazed doors. I traveled in both, and it had virtually no effect on the fare. By the way, train in Bulgarian is “vlak”. Trains are designated as follows: KPV (Kraigradski patnicheski vlak) - an analogue of ours commuter train; PV (Patnicheski Vlak) - runs across the territory of Bulgaria at distances of 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 long-term reservation) - fast trains with pre-booked tickets; MBV (International Barz 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. The tickets are still paper, with the BJJ logo. Instead of 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. There, on the ground floor of the station, there is a timetable. Departure is written “zaminavane”, arrival - “pristigane”. Access to the train platforms is through a tunnel. At small stations like ours, there are pedestrian decks. The path in Bulgarian is “kolovoz”. And now the local Sofian features. Two trains going in opposite directions can be boarded on one track to the same platform. And the schedule shows, accordingly, the same platform and track twice (opposite different trains). Therefore, before boarding the carriage, you must carefully look at what is written on the route board of the carriage and the class of the carriage. Passenger trains may have 1st and 2nd class carriages; the class is marked with a number on the outer wall of the carriage. Electric trains (ER25) have only 2nd class carriages. The doors in many carriages are opened by the passenger himself during a stop, using a handle, and they close automatically. To drive passenger trains, far from new, but very reliable electric locomotives are used, which in appearance are very reminiscent of ChS2 of the Soviet railways. Only these were alternating current, but ChS2 were constant. Shunting work in Sofia is performed by small shunting electric locomotives. The Sofia-Burgas train with sleeping cars regularly appears at the Sofia station. Very convenient for those who leave Sofia in the evening to arrive in Burgas in the morning. I didn't ride in it. They say that there are not 2 but 3 shelves in the compartment, located one above the other. There are also two steam locomotives at the Sofia station - monuments. One, a tank-steam locomotive, stands on the station square (on the side of the building), the other, a narrow-gauge locomotive, is located inside the station, on the ground floor.
Tank locomotive in Sofia near the station.
A narrow gauge locomotive with a carriage on the ground 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 station: removing the cars of one of the arriving trains.
Since 1998, the metro has been operating in Sofia, using cars from 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 “Rusichs” come across. But for now there is a chance to ride, if you stand and wait. The feeling is like being in my native Moscow metro, as if I had never left anywhere. On this moment There are two lines in the metro, and construction of a third is underway.
Station "Letishche (airport) Sofia" with electric train model 81-717.4/714.4.
Electric train 81-717.4/714.4 at the Lomsko Shosse station.
Electric train model 81-740.2/741.2 at the Lomsko Shosse station.
In addition to Sofia, I visited other stations, including Mezdra, Tsareva Livada, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Ruse, Varna, Carbonat, Burgas. Among the three main railway lines crossing Bulgaria, the most picturesque is the middle one, where there are flat and mountain sections.
An electric locomotive performs maneuvers at Mezdra station.
Passenger train of 2nd and 1st class carriages in Mezdra.
Another steam locomotive monument was discovered at the Tsareva Livada station.
Passenger train at Tsareva Livada station.
In a passenger train carriage.
At the Varna train station.
Diesel locomotive of the Lugansk plant with the Varna - Dobrich train at the Varna station. In the USSR they are known as TE109 and were also used, but in very limited quantities.
Shunting diesel locomotive at Kommunary station.
Electric locomotives at Karnobat station.
At the train station in Burgas.
The Bulgarian Railway has Soviet-built track machines. In particular, DM handcars.
Local graffiti artists pose a serious problem for the BJJ. Unfortunately, you don’t often see a completely clean train in Bulgaria. As if on purpose, graffiti artists strive to leave their mark on everything that moves and that stands at a dead end. It's not very easy to fight them yet.
I’ll tell you separately about the trip on the Septemvri - Dobrinishte (Dobrinishte) narrow-gauge railway. This is the only widely known narrow gauge railway in Bulgaria. Track width 760 mm. The road was built in stages: the first section Septemvri - Velingrad was launched in 1922, and the last section - Bansko - Dobrinishte opened in 1945. The route passes through mountain ranges Rila and Rhodopes, 35 tunnels and several viaducts were built along its route. The length of the road is 120 kilometers, a passenger train covers this distance in 5 hours. The line operates with Romanian-made diesel locomotives used to drive trains; there are two diesel locomotives from the Kambarsky Machine-Building Plant, similar to the Russian TU7. The Kambarsky diesel locomotive can be found transporting passenger cars that have arrived from the trip 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 stored and maintained in working order at the Septemvri depot.
Septemvri depot. On the right is a Soviet-built narrow-gauge diesel locomotive from the Kambarsky plant.
Yakoruda station. At the station there is a passenger train to Septemvri. There are new comfortable carriages with soft seats and working toilets. I have never seen this before on Russian narrow-gauge railways. But nevertheless, our dear Russian narrow-gauge railways are still miles away.
Razlog station.
Bansko station. From here there is the last stretch to Dobrinishte.
Train station and water pump at Bansko station.
Bansko. Abandoned locomotive.
Bansko. By Russian standards, this is a province. However, the situation is very unusual for the province, as everything is not Russian. I can’t imagine a town or village in the region without wooden huts with chimneys, rickety fences, flowers on the window sills and broken roads that have sunk almost to the ground up to the windows. This is the difference, although Bulgaria is a former socialist country, friendly country.
From Bansko you can go by bus to Sofia, it will be faster than by train through Septemvri, or you can return by narrow gauge railway to Septemvri and continue by train east to Plovdiv.
Railways are not available everywhere in Bulgaria, and no one bothers to build new ones, exploiting the heritage of previous centuries.
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 Ottoman Empire, and was not the capital yet. 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 the same - you have to get to many cities with one, or even two or three transfers, which, of course, is very inconvenient. But it’s okay, over time you get used to the fact that not every place in Bulgaria can be reached comfortably by rail. Big City. Well, nothing, but there are buses.
Trains run not only throughout Bulgaria, but also abroad. Previously, the Moscow-Kyiv-Bucharest-Sofia train ran, and in the summer additional cars were attached to it, which went to Varna and Burgas. Travel time is 2 days, the cost of a ticket in a compartment is 100 euros. It was a good time. Then, it seems, they launched a train that went from Moscow across all of Europe, long and expensive, but for some reason nothing was heard about it for a long time. It is possible that there was simply no one 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 the well-deserved seating carriages, there are sleeping carriages - with nice compartments for 3 people, with washbasins, comfortable stairs, air conditioning and other amenities. We traveled in such a coupe to Sofia in 2014 and were very pleased.
We were terribly scolded at the “sit-down” carriages. They say it’s incredibly dirty there, the smell, the crowd is kind of bad. However, we still have very good impressions from the Varna-Plovdiv train, which was very reminiscent of the train to Hogwarts. But I liked the carriages on the Varna-Sofia route much less - they resembled an ordinary train, albeit 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, and in the second class there are 8. In principle, there is no noticeable difference, as far as we can judge. The class of the carriage is written on the outside.
And between Dobrich and Varna there runs a completely luxurious train with doors that open at the touch of a button and other delights. By the way, stops are announced in it, unlike regular trains. And in general it’s very cozy and beautiful, but the windows are a little dirty. In general, dirty windows are also typical for trains. long distance, but we got the impression that the rest of the cars were quite decent.
Stations
Empty station in Dobrich At the same time, the stations look rather neglected. If Sofia or Plovdiv are normal, then the Dobrich station is a rather sad Soviet-built building, where, judging by the evacuation scheme, there was once a restaurant and shops, but today all that remains of its former luxury are chairs in a dusty waiting room and a couple of working cash desks. There’s not even a proper scoreboard, just a dusty schedule. Varna Station looks more cheerful, there are at least some cafes and kiosks there. And Rusensky made an indelible impression on us. A huge building with echoing and completely empty corridors, some mysterious nooks, giant compartments in a second-class carriage designed for 8 people, empty halls, high ceilings. When we were there, the luggage room was closed without explanation, and all the toilets were locked, so we did not have any fondness for this station.
A serious problem of many railway stations and stations is the lack of numbering of platforms. If there is only one platform in Dobrich, you can’t go wrong, but at railway junctions the lack of signs 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 away; everything became clear when checking the tickets. By the way, tickets are checked constantly, the conductor runs the train between all stations. If for some reason you were unable to purchase travel document in advance, The sleeping cars are very pleasant, each compartment has air conditioning and the conductor will arrange it for you.
All information about railways is collected on the BDZ website - http://www.bdz.bg/bg/. Here you can find out the schedule, buy (book) tickets online, and find out all kinds of news. There is also information about discounts. However, when we arrived at the station and began to ask for tickets, armed with this information, we were told that the discounts were not valid. Now we no longer remember what exactly was discussed, maybe we were not prepared correctly. But when writing this article, we tried to buy online ticket from Dobrich to - and nothing came of it. It turns out that Dobrich tickets are not sold online. Moreover, according to reviews, they are not sold online and from other cities. Such are the sudden surprises.
Ticket prices
Ticket prices are quite affordable; traveling by train is cheaper than by bus. But usually it takes longer, including due to transplants. Nevertheless, we like this method of travel, if only for the reason that trains travel calmly through tunnels, and do not rush along mountain serpentines, risking falling into the abyss.
Discounts are offered for various reasons (information from the Belarusian Railways website, we cannot guarantee in any way that when purchasing a ticket it will not turn out that today and specifically you will be denied them):
Leisure trips
In addition to normal trains, Belarusian Railways also offers entertainment ones. This interesting trips, which we will probably write about separately. By the way, about entertainment: there is a railway transport museum in Ruse. We didn’t have time to visit there, which we greatly regret, because there are quite interesting exhibits there.
You may also be interested in our other articles:
original name |
Holding of Bulgarian State Railways |
|---|---|
| Balgarski darzhavni zheleznitsi Holding | |
| State Corporation | |
| Industry | Transport |
| founded | 1885 |
| Headquarters | , |
Service area |
Bulgaria |
Key people |
Georgy Drumev |
| Services | Passenger and cargo transportation |
Amount of workers |
17867 |
| Web site | www.bdz.bg |
|
Map of the Bulgarian railway network |
|
| scene | Bulgaria |
|---|---|
| Timing of the operation | 1885- |
| Track width | 1435 mm (4 ft - 1 / 2 V) standard gauge |
| Electrification | HF AC 25, 50 Hz OHLE |
| length | 4,070 km (2,529.0 mi) (as of December 31, 2012) |
IN Bulgarian State Railways(Bulgarian: Bulgarian State Railways , Balgarski darzhavni zheleznitsi, abbreviated as BJ, BJD and or BJD listen)) are Bulgaria's state-owned railway company and the largest railway carrier in the country, established as a legal entity in 1885. The company's headquarters are located in the capital Sofia. Since the 1990s, the Belarusian Railways has faced serious competition from road transport. Over the period from 1994 to 2010, there has been a significant decline in market share in passenger and freight transport, and the lack of competent management is making the situation worse. Until 2002, the company owned/managed the country's railway infrastructure, when, in accordance with EU regulations, a new state-owned company, the infrastructure company National Railway, was founded and became the owner of the infrastructure.
Since January 1, 2002 new law O railway transport enterrd into force adopted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, according to which the National Company Bulgarian State Railways Werr is divided into two separate enterprises - the railway carrier (Bulgarian State Railways EAD) and the infrastructure enterprise (Railway Infrastructure National Company)
The European Commission formally warned Bulgaria in May 2010 for non-compliance with the first railway regulation on charges of access to rail tracks. In October 2010, a further restructuring of WSS was announced, with BZD EAD becoming a holding company, and all rolling stock allocated to passenger and freight subsidiaries.
The structure of the company
Since the last reforms in 2007, a new organizational structure has been approved.
BZD Inc. (holding company with one shareholder, Republic of Bulgaria)
- BZD Putnicheski PREVOZI Ltd. - responsibility for passenger transportation. The company carried 31.36 million passengers in 2009.
- BZD Tovární PREVOZI Ltd. - Cargo operations and expeditions with additional BDZ accelerated Ltd. The company carried 13.3 million tons of cargo in 2009 in 3.1 million ton-kilometers. Privatization was undertaken in 2012, but was withdrawn in 2013 due to financial problems.
- BZD Traktzionen Podvizhen Sustav Ltd. - control and maintenance locomotive.
- BDZ-Konchar Inc. - a joint venture between BZDAMI EAD and KONČAR group from Croatia with the main scope of work being locomotive repairs and modernization.
However, there are many problems with the organizational structure of the holding. In order to optimize operating costs, many employees from the administration must be fired. There is an obvious lack of efficiency in management and the main goal of the Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Telecommunications is to make the enterprise profitable.
traction current
| Class | manufacturer | Traction type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elektroputere - Craiova | Diesel-electric | ||
| Luganskteplovoz | Diesel-electric | Lyudmila (locomotive) The most famous locomotives built in the Soviet Union. Same as DB class 232 | |
| Siemens AG | DMU-2 | DESIRO Modern diesel-hydraulic multiple-units. | |
| Siemens AG | EMU-3 | Desiro Modern 3 car electric train | |
| Siemens AG | EMU-4 | Desiro version 4 of class 30 car | |
| RVR Riga | EMU-4 | Soviet built emu. Soviet class ER25 (ER25) | |
| RVR Riga | EMU-4 | Soviet built emu. Soviet class ER33 (ER33) | |
| 42,1 | Škoda Works | electric | |
| Škoda Works | electric | ||
| Škoda Works | electric | Same as class 43, but with electro-dynamic braking. | |
| Škoda Works | electric | Same class 44. Re tuned for 110 km/h operation for freight trains. | |
| 46 / 46.2 | Elektroputere - Craiova | electric | LE5100 are the most powerful locomotives in use on the BZD. Similar to CFR Class 40. |
| Ganz | diesel | Similar to ZS class 641 and MAV class M44. | |
| VEB Lokomotiv und Electrotechnische Werke | Diesel-hydraulic | DB class V 60. | |
| Faur | Diesel-hydraulic | The largest number of locomotives in the Belarusian Railways fleet. | |
| Škoda Works | electric | Shunting and replacement service light. Famous among railfans in Bulgaria due to the rarity (~20 units) of the locomotive. | |
| Humboldt-Deutzmotoren AG | Diesel-hydraulic | Sofia Depot has one class locomotive that was supposed to be restored for shunting work at the depot, but work was stopped due to lack of funding. DR Class V20. | |
| Henschel & Son | Diesel-hydraulic | 760 mm (2 ft 5 15 / 16 c) gauge locomotives used on Septemvri - Dobrinisthe tourist attraction line. | |
| Faur | Diesel-hydraulic | 760 mm (2 ft - 15 / 16 c) locomotive calibration. | |
| Kambar Machine-Building Plant (Kambarka Engineering Works) |
Diesel-hydraulic | 760 mm (2 ft - 15 / 16 c) calibration shunting locomotive. Soviet class TU7 (TU7) |
Narrow gauge railways
The picturesque Septemvri-Dobrinishte narrow gauge line was completed in 1945 and passes through Avramova station, which is the highest railway station in the Balkans at 1267.4 meters. Then it goes through summer and winter tourist centre Bansko. The line is 760mm gauge, non-electrified, and primarily serves diesel powered locomotives, however there are well-preserved steam locomotives that provide the attraction of the tour. Although very attractive to tourists, it is also widely used local residents for public transport purposes.
As a railway enthusiast, I have made many trips and photo excursions, but outside the former USSR I have never visited the railways of a particular country. When I flew to Bulgaria, taking off from Domodedovo airport, our plane flew over the railway and I observed it from above. But, ironically, when landing at Burgas airport, our plane also flew over the railway, along which an unknown passenger train was traveling at that moment. Looking down, I thought, shouldn’t I take a fact-finding trip and photograph the local rolling stock? Why not!
But, naturally, in the first days of rest there was no question of this: sea, sun... But I didn’t think of giving up the idea, I got a schedule for the Burgas station, chose the day of the trip. In the interval 13.45 - 14.30 several trains from Burgas were expected, which I decided to photograph. The trip was scheduled for August 10.
The road from Pomorie to Burgas took about 30 minutes, and here I am already standing in front of the station building. Repair work was underway at the Burgas station: passenger platforms were repaired, tracks were changed. But I was interested in the schedule; I had to double-check the information. All the trains were displayed on the departure monitor; everything was the same in time, except, perhaps, the numbers and some routes. But I didn’t notice that the 3 trains that I planned to photograph in the “path” column did not have a number, but the inscription “auto”; only the commuter train No. 8028 Burgas - Yambol had track No. 7. But I didn’t attach any importance to this, but in vain!
I decided to take a photo outing opposite the Burgas-Razpredelitelna station, so I took the bus to the Dolno Ezerovo quarter. I drove about 20 minutes by bus and saw parallel railway tracks and a marshalling yard. I get off at the nearest stop and move towards the tracks. But as soon as I found myself at the railway track, I heard a whistle from the direction of Burgas. I wonder what this is? And then an electric train appeared around the bend. 
Electric train 32-104.2. Although the light is backlit, the first train has been filmed. It was all the more pleasing that the first trophy was an electric train built for BJD by the Riga Carriage Works, known as ER25. 
The electric train sped off, and I began to inspect the freight station. If our marshalling stations are constantly in full swing with work, the shunting diesel locomotive ChME3 or TEM2 constantly rearranges cars from one track to another, then silence reigned here. No locomotive whistle, no knocking... Silence. 
But looking closer, I noticed that most of the cars had rusty wheels, which indicated that they had been standing here for quite a long time. And the roll on the tracks was quite weak on most tracks. 
I decided to take a walk along the tracks. Now it’s good to photograph trains to Burgas, but the surroundings of the tracks are so overgrown that there is nowhere to stand. Walking along the tracks, I look at the freight station, trying to notice at least some signs of life. So I reached the station building of the Burgas-Raspredelitelnaya station. 
Burgas-Raspredelitelna station (Gara Burgas-Razpredelitelna). Nearby there is a landing platform of the same-named stopping point (Bulgarian: spirka). The tracks of the cargo park adjoin the main ones after a couple of kilometers, it is in that place that there is an entrance traffic light and a sign “Border on Garata” (Station Boundary). 
Continuing my walk, I approach traffic lights. The traffic light is yellow, the station is closed to traffic. Although, judging by the schedule, there should be a train. The train, of course, appeared, but from the opposite direction. An electric locomotive of the 44 series produced by Skoda rushed to Burgas with a pair of passenger cars. If you look closely, you can see current separation signs in the distance. The electric locomotive proceeded through this section with the pantograph lowered. Neutral insert, gentlemen.
Since the next train from Burgas was expected only in 40 minutes, I decided to walk to the place where the border of the station passes. 
Entrance traffic lights and station boundary sign.
Initially, I wanted to go further, but changed my mind. The area is unfamiliar to me, moreover Railway turned left, where the lighting for shooting trains from Burgas was poor. Let's go back. 
View in the direction of Burgas, towards the Vladimir Pavlov station. 
I'm going back. Having reached the traffic light, I look at the reading - nothing has changed, it is still yellow. 
In general, the traffic light was a little confusing, why it only had two digits. Is there really a semi-automatic blocking here? To be honest, it was hard to believe. Like European country, like a two-track, and the line is clearly not inactive. But then the yellow traffic light changed to green. I took a position, and a minute later the face of a Skoda electric locomotive appeared in the distance. 
So, an electric locomotive with a pair of cars should serve as a commuter. The same one I saw a little over an hour ago. By the way, the electric train that I took first had already returned to Burgas by this time. But now all attention is paid to commuter train No. 8028. 
Electric locomotive 44-094.1 with commuter train No. 8028 Burgas - Yambol, section Vladimir Pavlov - Burgas-Razpredelitelna. As soon as the commuter passed, I quickly walked forward to see the traffic light. The traffic light was green. The commuter train disappeared around the bend following the entrance traffic light, and the green signal changed to yellow. There is no doubt - this is semi-automatic.
The train sped off, the next one was expected soon, but... I didn’t pay attention to the fact that instead of the track number, the board read “auto” (bus obviously). 15 minutes passed, but the warning light was yellow. Meanwhile, a freight train arrived at the freight depot - the station became a little livelier. I was about to look at the arriving train, but then the warning traffic light turned green, and a couple of minutes later an unknown dark locomotive appeared in the distance. As we approached, it became clear that a freight train driven by a Series 87 locomotive was approaching. 
Electric locomotive 87-033.7 with a freight train. The owner of the locomotive is the Bulgarian Iron Company. Series 87 electric locomotives were purchased by this railway company from the British and were previously operated in England. This locomotive was built in 1974.
A little more time passed, and the warning light turned green again. The yellow face of an electric locomotive with a freight train appeared on the horizon. But as we approached, it became clear that the cargo was headed by a system of two electric locomotives. 
Electric locomotives 92-025.1 "Oscar Wilde" and 92-034.3 "Kipling" with a freight train. I wonder whose locomotives these are? On the sides of the electric locomotives is the "EWS" (English, Welsh and Scottish Railway Ltd) logo, the largest British railway company. And the DB logo is applied to the face ( Deutsche Bahn) large company, Germany's main railway operator. And the locomotives themselves travel along the Bulgarian railways. Interesting movie!
At this point I decided to end my acquaintance with the railways of Bulgaria, but only for a while. The fact is that a couple of days later I had to come to Burgas to buy some things that I did not find in Pomorie, I had the camera with me. And then I decided to rent a suburban one again to Yambol, but a little further - on the territory of the Dolno Ezerovo quarter. I took a bus to this quarter of Burgas, reached the tracks and after 10 minutes successfully removed suburban train.
Electric locomotive 44-134.5 with commuter train No. 8028 Burgas - Yambol, section Burgas-Razpredelitelna - Dolno Ezerovo.
After filming the commuter train, I decided to wait a little in the hope of freight trains, but there were no freight trains that day. More precisely, there was one cargo truck, but it passed by when I was returning back to the city.
In principle, this was enough for me, but... I liked the Bulgarian Skoda electric locomotives; after all, they have a slight external resemblance to our ChS2. God, as you know, loves a trinity, and therefore I decided to come to this stage again in order to film another Czech. The trip took place on August 15. 
I left for the stage 20 minutes before the commuter train passed. The warning traffic light was the usual yellow; nothing was expected in front of the suburban one. IN last train I saw a notch in the curve ahead, so I decided to go forward. 
But when I reached the curve, I realized that the plan to remove the commuter from the excavation could be discarded - the excavation was all covered in bushes, there was nowhere to stand. It's a pity, of course, but what can you do? I go back without a sip. About 10 minutes passed and then the sound of a local train approaching was heard. I knew that there would be an electric locomotive 44-096.6 because I saw it at the Burgas station 
Suburban appeared in a curve. I was pointing the camera, but the technology failed by focusing inaccurately, correcting the inaccuracy only when the electric locomotive almost left the frame. 
Electric locomotive 44-096.1 with the Burgas - Yambol commuter train. I wasn’t very pleased with the shot, but on the other hand, I haven’t taken close-ups of the Bulgarian Czechs yet. The train proceeded under the yellow flashing warning light and disappeared around the bend.
Now all that was left was to wait and hope for luck. But an hour passed and there was no movement. Only flocks of pelicans were constantly circling in the sky. 
A flock of pelicans flying to Lake Burgas.
After walking a little more along the tracks I decided to leave. I left the railway, but when I got to the bus stop I found out that the bus had just left, and here they only run every 45 minutes. Well, since this happened, I decided to go to the Dolno Ezerovo station and see what kind of station it was. Since the station was located in the block itself, I didn’t have to walk for long, and turning down one street I saw a crossing 150 meters away. 
Station (Gara) Dolno Ezerovo. Having glanced at the station, I understood why the train arrived at the station under two yellow signals of the entrance traffic light - the 1st and 2nd main tracks were closed for repairs, the trains moved through the side tracks. The 2nd track was completely dismantled, a new one has already been laid in place of the 1st dismantled track, but it is still far from being put into operation. A similar picture is observed at the Vladimir Pavlov station. 
Railway crossing at Dolno Ezerovo station. As soon as I took a photo of the crossing, the alarm went off and the barrier closed. The train is only expected from this direction; in addition, a single-track line departs from the Dolno Ezerovo station to the metallurgical plant. But when I got to the crossing, I noticed a green signal at one of the repeating traffic lights - a train was expected from Burgas. 
And in front of the station there is a curve, here only a commuter with two cars can be easily removed. And from around the curve appeared a familiar pair of electric locomotives bearing the names of Oscar Wilde and Rudyard Kipling. 
Series 92 electric locomotives with a freight train. In general, freight trains in Bulgaria are not that long, but some, nevertheless, are equipped with systems of 2 electric locomotives. 
Bulgarian freight cars. Freight train drove down a side path and was soon out of sight. And a few minutes later the crossing rang again. Only this time the train was already on the opposite side, and it was the already familiar locomotive 44-096.1 which was returning with a commuter from Yambol. But then I remembered that any minute there will be a commuter train No. 8014 Burgas - Sliven, and judging by previous observations, an electric train of the ER25 series, also known as 32-104.2, will travel as a commuter train. Great! A few minutes later, when the commuter from Yambol rushed off to Burgas, the crossing rang again, and a beautiful Riga woman appeared around the bend. 
Electric train 32-104.2 from Burgas to Sliven. Great! If you have a question, how did I know that there would be this particular electric train, I answer that it is currently operating here alone. There is indeed another electric train in Burgas, but it stands at a dead end without movement. Excellent result, and now we can take the bus? Perhaps! I'm going to bus stop, having reached which I find out that the next flight will be soon, but.... Something made me miss this flight and go back to the railway track. The crossing rang when I was about 50 meters away from it. I’m running ahead, although it’s not a fact that the train will be from Burgas. And as it turned out, the train was on the opposite side, but... The electric locomotive was traveling to Burgas as a reserve, which made it possible to remove it for those leaving for the stage. 
Another addition to the collection is the 86 series electric locomotive, which, judging by the logo on its face, also belongs to the Germans.
After the passage of this electric locomotive, there was a slight lull, which I took advantage of by walking around the station. 
Dolno Ezerovo station. In front of us is the railway station building, as well as the landing platform. Repair work is underway at the station to replace the railway track. 
View towards Burgas-Razpredelitelna station.
The station was filmed, but what happens next? And then I remembered that today is Saturday, which means there should be a train from Burgas to Budapest. I look at my watch - in a couple of minutes the train will leave Burgas, which means I have some time. Only at the station I didn’t want to take pictures with the construction in the background, but I just didn’t have time to get to the Dolno Ezerovo - Druzhba section, and even this was outside the block - unfamiliar places.
We had to film near the crossing, just like the previous trains. 
Electric locomotive 45-176.5 s by passenger train No. 1470 Burgas - Budapest-Keleti. So we caught a Czech of the 45th series.
The passenger train sped away, but a few minutes later the crossing rang again, and a whistle was heard from the direction of Burgas. 
The already familiar electric locomotive 44-096.6 with empty passenger cars passed by. In general, behind the passenger train there should be a suburban train Burgas - Karnobat, but it turned out that this train does not run on Saturdays.
At this point I decided to end the photo outing. Returning to the bus stop, I waited for the bus and went back to the center of Burgas. Next, transfer to a bus to Pomorie and after 20.00 I was already at home.
The sun had already hidden behind the horizon when I went out to the beach. And even though it was already getting dark, I plunged into the warm waters of the Black Sea and got great pleasure from swimming at sunset. The day was a success!
Concerning general impression about the BDZ rolling stock, I personally was very attracted to the local electric locomotives of the Skoda company and the electric train of the ER25 series. Everything else is of course not bad, but ours is still prettier. That's all! Thank you for your attention!
Bulgarian railways are called " Bulgarian State Railways“ and it turns out BJJ. A railway stations, respectively, ZhP (and iron Pътн A) gara(railway station).
The first railway in Bulgaria was built by the British, the Berkeley brothers in 1866. It connected the cities of Ruse and Varna.
In 1952, a railway connection between Burgas and Sofia opened. In 1909, all railway lines became state property.
In 2005, new carriages appeared in Bulgaria - Siemens, but you can still find old German carriages on suburban routes.
I would say that Bulgaria has very well developed railway connections for such a small country - almost all major settlements connected to each other. It's comfortable. It is a pity that with the optimization of costs, the Bulgarian railways have reduced some international routes.
Train in Bulgarian vlak. This word comes from the verb " dragging, dragging"and was previously used for river transport.
Train from Sofia to Burgas
Now I want to talk about how to travel by train from Sofia to Burgas. Travel time is night. At 22.45 you land in Sofia and at 6.15 in Burgas.
Tickets for Bulgarian trains look like the photo below. This is a ticket to second class in a triple compartment. It costs 30.40 levs (15.58 euros) per person from Sofia to Burgas.
There are three sections: the first ticket gives you the right to travel from Sofia to Burgas, the second ticket gives you the right to use a sleeping car, where your compartment and sleeping place will be specified, the third ticket with red font is a receipt that remains with you after the conductor will take the middle ticket. At the entrance to the carriage, the conductor will take all three tickets from you, and then, upon arrival at your destination, he will return the first and third.
The carriages are divided into sleeping and seating carriages. In turn, sleeping rooms are divided into “business class”, “first class” and “second class”; seated - for "first" and "second" classes. Business class of a sleeping car means that the passenger will be in a single compartment, first class - the compartment has two berths, second class - three berths. There are two types of seated carriages - “first” and “second” classes. First class is designed as a seated compartment. The second is like an electric train. The last type is also loved by large, cheerful groups who are not going to sleep.
Shared toilet in the sleeping car
When you buy a ticket at the box office ZhP Gara, you pay for the travel and type of accommodation on the train. If you buy a ticket from Sofia to Burgas, you pay the fare, plus the type and class of the carriage. Here we get 20.40 levs (from Sofia to Burgas) plus the cost of sleeping accommodation - 10 levs.
These hygiene kits are not given to everyone and not always. Sometimes they are on the shelf in the compartment, and sometimes they are not.
However, there is no particular use for them, except for paper handkerchiefs if you forgot a towel at home - there are no other towels on Bulgarian trains.
As for other prices, a business class sleeping car costs 18 levs (9.23 euros), first class - 12 levs (6.15 euros), second class - 10 levs (5.12 euros).
Seats in a compartment are sold at a price of 5 levs (2.56 euros) and standard seat place 50 stotinki (0.25 euros).
Pre-sale of train tickets in Bulgaria begins five days before the travel date. For holidays and summer season A twenty-day pre-sale is introduced.
You can buy a round-trip ticket, but you cannot pay in advance for a bed/seat in the opposite direction. To do this, you need to go to the ticket office at the place of departure and pay extra for the type of seat there. For night routes you can buy both seats and sleeping places, for day routes - only seats. The price of a seat does not depend on the distance.
Tambour in a sleeping car
Power socket in a triple second class compartment. Here you can charge any gadget.
The second class sleeping car consists of ten compartments. This glass door separates the regular compartments from the disabled ones. Disabled compartments are spacious and have a washbasin.
Bed linen is included in the price sleeping place and you don’t have to pay extra for it. The set consists of a pillow, a pillowcase on it, two sheets, one of which replaces the duvet cover, and a “camel” blanket. There are no towels. The linen is good, clean, dry and does not smell.
Second class compartment of a sleeping car on a Bulgarian train
Interesting point about the stairs. In the photo it is in its original position. People complain that it is supposedly installed incorrectly and when using it, they want to pull the stop valve. In fact, in order to climb onto the third shelf, it is better to remove it (the ladder) from the mount and move it to the shelf.
You may get a seat in a compartment for disabled people simply because it was available at the time you purchased your train tickets, and not because you are disabled.
Washbasin in compartment
There are shelves behind the mirror. 
This is the control panel for the coupe :)
Here the temperature regime, the volume of something there and the lighting are set. This compartment has a TV. True, it only showed the inscription “Sofia-Burgas”. The conductor said that it was just an information board and that it was not working properly at the moment.
There is a drawer for shoes under the hanger. 
At the head of each bed there is a lamp, a button to call the conductor and some other functions.
The sleeping cars on the Sofia-Burgas-Sofia route are new - German, and have air conditioning.
The common toilet in the carriage is not locked. About forty minutes before arrival, the conductor wakes everyone up and hands out tickets that he picked up at the boarding. Neither tea nor coffee are offered; there is no restaurant or even a buffet on the train. Smoking is not allowed - there are smoke detectors throughout the carriage. When landing on night flight An unspoken quiet hour is announced. Surveillance cameras are installed in the corridor and if “unauthorized” movement begins, the conductor comes out to check.
Important!
Sleeping compartments in Bulgaria are divided into women's and men's. A family of three can easily buy a triple second-class sleeping compartment. In this case, a first class sleeping compartment is suitable for the couple, otherwise they will have to sleep in different compartments.
Platform of the residential complex in Burgas
