Bulgaria unveils plan to put more grain on rail

The Bulgarian government is looking to put more grain on freight trains amid worries concerning the recent attack on Black Sea ports. Around five million tonnes of Bulgarian wheat risk remaining unsold, with vessels refusing to use the countries’ ports to avoid risk of being bombed. Sofia’s ministries of transport and agriculture met together with grain associations and state-owned operator BDZ Freight to discuss immediate as well as long-term solutions. “As an immediate measure, a review of railway stations with grain loading and unloading capabilities will be carried out”, the ministry of transport said. This information will then be shared with producers to facilitate their transport planning.

Moreover, the government suggested that “the possibility of reviving some small freight stations that are currently unused will also be explored.” The long-term plans include the development of intermodal terminals to move more grain by rail and road. “”Until now, the state has not invested enough in the development of railway stations as logistics structures”, acknowledged transport minister Georgi Peev.

Despite the good intentions shown by the Bulgarian government, shifting significant volumes of grain from the Black Sea to inland options such as rail remains quite complicated. Black Sea ports like Varna and Burgas handle the vast majority of Bulgaria’s agricultural exports, which then mostly travels to North Africa, especially Algeria.

This story was originally published by RailFreight.com. Read the full story at RailFreight.com →