Railway Herald
Major reconstruction work has taken place on Bulgaria's LINE 1 between Sofia and Plovdiv over the last couple of years. The results of which and be seen here at Pazardzhik during a visit on 18th October 2023. This is now the modernised look on some parts of the Bulgarian railway system which for many years was starved of investment following the collapse of socialism in the country, the travelling public now enjoying improved infrastructure and modern locomotive haulage. BDZ PP (Bulgarian State run Railway Passenger Division) SIEMENS Smartron No. 80038 named after Bulgarian ruler Han Krum slows for the booked stop at Pazardzhik with eastbound service FAST 8615 (12:47) Sofia to Varna, a journey time of almost 7 hours. The majority of Varna - Sofia - Varna services run via the more direct LINE 2 routing via Mezdra, Pleven and Gorna Oryahovitsa with a saving of around an hour to the journey time.
Stephen Ginn
