Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania intend to submit a joint application for funding to modernise the Thessaloniki–Sofia–Bucharest line, a strategic project aimed at strengthening North–South rail connections.
Bulgarian Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov announced that the three countries will coordinate their efforts in the planning, design, and authorization phases so that work can begin simultaneously on all national segments.
According to the Bulgarian official, this synchronized approach will allow for the faster completion of a continuous and efficient rail corridor, eliminating the administrative bottlenecks and delays that have previously affected cross-border projects. The statement was made during the first working meeting dedicated to the Black Sea-Aegean Sea corridor, held in Sofia with the participation of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, and the European Commission.
The meeting was attended by high-level representatives of national and European authorities, including the Deputy Minister of Transport of Greece, Konstantinos Kyranakis, the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Transport of Romania, Ionuț Cristian Săvoiu, the European coordinator of the Baltic Sea – Black Sea – Aegean Sea Corridor, Mario Mauro, and the management of the European Railway Agency. Officials from the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development also participated, along with managers of railway and road infrastructure companies from the three countries.
In his speech, the Bulgarian Minister of Transport emphasized that, after a hiatus of almost a decade, the Thessaloniki–Sofia–Bucharest railway project will be relaunched next year. He recalled that the last direct rail link between Sofia and Thessaloniki operated in 2017 and that the resumption of traffic is essential for regional mobility and freight transport.
A major priority for Bulgaria remains the construction of the third bridge over the Danube, between Ruse and Giurgiu, designed as a mixed road and rail infrastructure. Grozdan Karadjov said that this objective is a key element for the functioning of the entire corridor and that the authorities intend to move beyond the preliminary studies stage and enter a concrete phase of construction preparation, with clear deadlines and well-defined responsibilities.
It should be noted that in July 2025, the Romanian Ministry of Transport announced that 11 bids had been submitted for the construction project for the second road-rail bridge over the Danube connecting Giurgiu and Ruse.
At the same time, the technical design for the electrification of the railway line connected to the Danube Bridge 1 will be completed in June, and the selection of the contractor is planned by the end of 2026. The Bulgarian minister explained that the electrification of the approximately 11-kilometer segment from the Ruse marshalling yard to the middle of the bridge will allow continuous electric train traffic between Bulgaria and Romania. Even the electrification of this relatively short sector can lead to a reduction of about 30% in freight transport costs, thanks to the use of electric traction.
As part of the Thessaloniki–Sofia–Bucharest line modernisation project, the Bulgarian authorities plan to electrify the connection between the Danube Bridge and Ruse by 2027, a measure that will contribute both to shorter travel times and to a significant reduction in operating costs.
The discussions in Sofia also focused on the strategic role of the Svilengrad–Plovdiv–Stara Zagora–Ruse railway axis, including the construction of a new tunnel through the Balkan Mountains. The aim is to create a unified, seamless railway route with harmonized technical standards and full interoperability between the networks of the three countries. At the same time, the project to modernize the Bucharest North–Giurgiu North–border line was also analyzed as an integral part of this regional initiative.
The representative of Greece, Konstantinos Kyranakis, expressed his support for Bulgaria’s priorities, stressing that these investments should be seen as elements of a coherent European transport system. He mentioned the projects underway in Greece, such as the electrification and modernization of the Piraeus–Athens–Thessaloniki double track, the works on the Thessaloniki–Kulata section, and the development of rail connections between the port of Alexandroupolis and the border with Bulgaria.
In turn, Romanian Secretary of State Ionuț Săvoiu highlighted the importance of close cooperation between public authorities and infrastructure managers involved in cross-border projects. He stressed the need for effective coordination of the planning, approval, and implementation stages, as well as the adaptation of infrastructure to dual civil and military use requirements, by making use of available European funding instruments.
Thessaloniki–Sofia–Bucharest line
This first meeting for the joint project between the three countries is based on the agreement signed in December 2025, which reiterates the importance of the corridor not only for Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece, but also for the European transport network.
The project to modernize the Thessaloniki–Sofia–Bucharest railway line is part of the Western Axis, one of the three major projects provided for in the cooperation agreement signed between Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania. This axis aims to create a continuous railway route between Athens, Thessaloniki, Promachonas, Kulata, Sofia, Vidin/Calafat, Craiova, and Bucharest, which will play a strategic role in connecting southern and southeastern Europe. The modernization of the infrastructure aims to increase traffic speed, technical interoperability, and the integration of European signaling systems, contributing to the European Union’s objectives of sustainable mobility and reducing transport emissions. The total estimated value of the investments associated with this multimodal corridor is estimated at several billion EUR, around the threshold of 6 billion EUR, including railway components and related infrastructure.
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