Bulgaria’s Railway Transport Development Policy – Main Goals and Results

Railway transport has been developing at varying rates in recent years and it has yet to find its worthy place on the transport market in Bulgaria. Bulgaria’s policy in the sector follows the main goals of the European transport policy which has focused its attention on railway transport for three decades. The EU’s main priorities involve the gradual liberalization of the sector by placing it within the same market principles as automobile transport. Other important priorities include: the achievement of a high degree of operative compatibility between the railway networks of individual member states; and the creation of a uniform European railway space, with guaranteed high standards for safety and security. The EU’s policy is expressed through the establishment of several fundamental packages of legislative decisions and measures developed and implemented after the year 2000. Despite the harmonization of these rules, Bulgaria’s policy is still incapable of responding adequately to the new challenges, and railway activity has been feeble, especially in regards to passenger freights. This generates ineffectiveness for Bulgaria’s transport sector, as well as large public expenses and missed benefits caused by the priority development of automobile transport, which involves significant external effects.