PROJECT OF ELECTRIFICATION AND RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SVILENGRAD – TURKISH BORDER (BULGARIA) RAILWAY LINE

08. 12. 2010

The Bulgaria Organisational Unit of OHL ŽS, a.s. has been working on the electrification and reconstruction of the Svilengrad – Turkish border (298.800 – 315.600 km) railway line which makes up a part of Pan-European transport corridors IV and IX. The implementation of this project makes up a part of the general project of Electrification and Reconstruction of the Plovdiv – Svilengrad – Greek/Turkish Border Railway Line.

The basic objectives of the general project:

• Improvement of the quality of the transport system in Bulgaria;
• Securing of the Europe – Asia railway connection and the integration of the Bulgarian railway network into the European network;
• Securing of financial sources for the development and modernization of the railway infrastructure;
• Increased competitive ability of railway transport, increased number of job vacancies in the region;
• Increased speed of transport;
• Cutting the cost of maintenance of the railway infrastructure and lowering the prices for passenger and goods transport;
• Increased safety of transport and reduced pollution of the environment by railway transport.

The project is divided into three phases, Phase 3 of which is the implementation of the Svilengrad – Turkish border project. Its basic objective is the development of the railway transport network of the “Railway Infrastructure”, state-owned enterprise, by means of the electrification and reconstruction of the railway infrastructure up to the maximum speed of 160 km/h with high operational parameters meeting the European requirements for safety of railway transport, energy efficiency and environmental protection.

The following activities will be executed within the Svilengrad – Turkish border project:

• Designing and construction of artificial constructions, railway substructure of the single-track line in the whole section;
• Designing and construction of the railway superstructure in the whole section on filler blocks with rails of the UIC60 shape;
• The construction parameters enabling the speed of 160 km/h for conventional train units and 200 km/h for train units with tilting bodies; the minimum radius of vertical curve is 1,500m (800m in the district of the border crossing), the maximum gradient of the line is 10‰, the loading per axle is 22.5 t/axle, the GC structure gauge, the minimum radius of the levelling curves is 15,000 m;
• Designing and construction of a railway bridge over the Marica River at a length of 430m;
• Securing a non-conflicting crossing of the newly constructed infrastructure, securing safety in built-up residential areas;
• Designing and construction of the contact line on the newly constructed infrastructure and its connection to the systems of Turkish State Railways, including related work;
• Establishment of a modern motor road overpass and a subway for pedestrians;
• Compliance with the conditions as regards environmental protection in accordance with the “Natura 2000” programme.

Useful links:   

Operational Programme Transport (BG): http://www.optransport.bg 

Internet presentation of the project: http://www.plovdivsvilengradrailway.com/en 

European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu 

EU structural funds in Bulgaria: http://www.eufunds.bg/en/?cat=2