2024-08-05 10:26:39
The lack of investment in the maintenance and repair of the railway lines is the main reason for the problems in the railways. This was stated by the chairman of the railway workers’ union Petar Bunev.
The Minister of Transport, Georgi Gvozdeikov, demanded resignations from NKŽI because of the low level of safety control and frequent incidents on the railway infrastructure. According to Bunev, the expression “low control” is used publicly in moments when a culprit must be found.
“When repairs need to be made at the age of 20, they are not done because of a lack of funds. When they have to give you 400 million for maintenance, but they give you 100, it is natural that repairs are not made, that they are overdue, they are reduced speeds, we fix and we get to this situation”.
There are over 1,300 vacancies in the railways – with a salary of BGN 1,200-1,500 it would be difficult for specialists to come, Bunev also pointed out.
“A lot of experiments were done with the management of BDZ and NKŽI. The executive director must be a person who knows the system.”
According to him, private carriers were the most against the privatization of BDZ.
“BDZ went out twice for privatization and both times it was not successful. It did not appear willing to buy them, because it was seen that we have 20 private carriers and it would be cheaper for them to buy wagons and locomotives, but BDZ must work, because without it they wouldn’t be able to work either”.
Bunev doubts that passenger transport will go through privatization. “This is a subsidized service for society, which is never profitable. The state is obliged to provide transport to its citizens,” he told BNT.