Minister of Transport Grozdan Karadzhov: We Need to Build New Transport Corridors Between Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania

Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania will work together to develop new road and railway connections aimed at easing the growing traffic between the three countries and strengthening the region’s position as a key logistics corridor linking Europe, the Middle East and the Caucasus.

The agreement was announced following a trilateral meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov, Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, and Romanian State Secretary for Transport Horatiu Cozma, held yesterday.

“At present, most of the traffic between Bulgaria and Turkey passes through Kapitan Andreevo and, to a lesser extent, Lesovo, while traffic with Romania is concentrated mainly through Ruse and, to a smaller degree, Vidin. The heavy congestion leads to almost continuous queues and delivery delays. Data show that road traffic to and from Bulgaria is growing by more than 20% annually. The same applies to our rail links with Turkey – traffic there has already reached the capacity limit of the modernised line from Svilengrad to Plovdiv. We need to start planning solutions now, as transport volumes to and through Bulgaria are likely to double within the next five years if the trend continues,” Minister Karadzhov said.

He added that the repair works on the Danube Bridge at Ruse and the long queues caused by them clearly demonstrated how vulnerable Bulgaria’s transport connectivity with its neighbours is.

“We need alternative routes – both road and rail – to ensure the stability of our logistics chains,” Karadzhov emphasised.

The minister highlighted that the planned “Black Sea Motorway”, linking Istanbul–Varna–Romania–Moldova–Ukraine, should be seen as a joint infrastructure cause for the three nations and as a natural extension of the Southern Transport Corridor.

“Together with Romania, we must define the northernmost point of the motorway – whether Durankulak, Kardam or Silistra. At the same time, it is time to put on the table the idea of a fourth Danube bridge at Silistra–Călărași, which would further enhance North–South connectivity,” the Deputy Prime Minister added.

From the Turkish side, Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu confirmed that Ankara supports closer cooperation between Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania, including through public–private partnerships and joint project proposals to international financial institutions.

During a bilateral meeting between Karadzhov and Uraloğlu, the two discussed a project for a second railway line along the Svilengrad–Plovdiv route, intended to relieve pressure on the current line, which is already operating at 90% of its capacity.

“The second strategic project that will help ease the region’s logistical pressure is the railway line Edirne–Hamzabeyli–Lesovo–Yambol. It will provide an alternative connection along the South–North axis,” Minister Karadzhov concluded.