Domestic (internal) streams count for 17% of freight turnover and 80% of freight volume in Bulgaria, while international provide 83% of turnover and only 20% by volume; from international turnover which 58% are export-import streams, and 25% are transit streams (not counting pipeline transportation).
The share of domestic streams grows constantly, while export-import streams grow stably, and transit streams are growing extra-rapidly. The country’s dominating tendency in transportation stream structure is growth of its importance as a transit way in the south-eastern part of the EU and in so-called Wider Europe.
There are few main directions for the domestic transportation streams:
- Northern West-East stream – that links Sofia and its surroundings with Varna seaport
- Southern West-East stream – that links Sofia and its surroundings with the southern industrial zone (Plovdiv, Dimitrovgrad) and then the Southern industrial zone (Plovdiv, Dimitrovgrad) with Burgas seaport
- North-South stream – that links Sofia and its surroundings with Danube area (northern Bulgaria)
So in general Sofia is the key location that links most of the domestic directions in the country; there are only few important streams in both directions that are going outside Sofia:
- Burgas-Varna railroad and motorway (both need modernization)
- Central North-South axis that links the Northern and the Southern West-East streams in the central part of Bulgaria
Five of the ten pan-European corridors, or their branches, cross Bulgaria:
- Corridor IV: Dresden/Nürnberg – Prague – Brno – Vienna (only railway) – Bratislava – Gyôr – Budapest – Arad (with branch to Bucharest – Constanta) – Craiova – Sofia (with branch to Plovdiv – Istanbul) – Thessaloniki
- Corridor VII: Ulm – Regensburg – Passau – Vienna – Bratislava – Komárno – Gyôr (Gönyû) – Budapest – Baja – Osijek – Novi Sad – Beograd – Rousse – Lom – Braila – Galati
- Corridor VIII: Durrës – Tirana – Skopje – Bitola – Sofia – Dimitrovgrad – Burgas – Varna
- Corridor IX: Helsinki – Vyborg – St.-Petersburg – Pskov – Moscow – Kaliningrad – Kiev – Ljubashevka/Rozdilna (Ukraine) – Chişinău – Bucharest – Dimitrovgrad – Alexandroupolis
- Corridor X: Salzburg – Ljubljana – Zagreb – Beograd – Niš – Skopje – Veles – Thessaloniki
Corridor IV provides up to 32% of transit freight turnover; Corridor VII – 27%; Corridor VIII – 12%; Corridor IX – 19%; and Corridor X – 10%.
Marine transport processes 13.5% of total freight volume in the country – being the 2nd largest kind of transport in Bulgaria in terms of volume (after road) and the largest in terms of turnover (due to its long-distant international operations). The country’s two seaports – Varna and Burgas – serve not only for Bulgaria’s export and import but also as gates for transit trade and thus they are counted to be parts of Pan-European corridors.
Both seaports have connection with national railroad network and paved roads. The key issue – besides modernization and increase of ports’ capacity – is linking of seaports with double-track railway (now some parts are single-track), to do the same in their connections with Sofia, to complete A3 Chorno More motorway between Varna and Burgas, Hemus motorway (Varna-Sofia) and Trakia motorway (Birgas-Sofia); these measures will allow increasing transit transportations with use of two ports.
Both ports are state-owned – Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company is managing their activity; private entities rent cargo terminals in the seaports from Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company.
Navigation Maritime Bulgare (Navibulgar) is a leader on the shipping market in Bulgaria.
Road transport processes up to 72% of freight volume in Bulgaria being the largest in volume terms and the second largest in turnover terms (after marine that transports to international long distances). Most of main motorways are owned and managed with the state Executive Road Agency (a part of Ministry of Transport). Transportation by roads is being implemented mainly with the producers (that have own truck fleets) and specialized truck operators; currently 78% of road turnover road is being provided with specialized truck operators, while 22% – directly with producers. SO MAT – former state-owned national carrier, now owned with WilliBetz – is the largest player in a segment, with a fleet in 4000 trucks and 5% market share in Bulgaria. Foreign players are presented with international hauler operators (working mainly in transit and import segments) as well as they are presented among the shareholders of road management companies (Portuguese shareholders in A3 motorway concession).
Railroad transport processes about 11.5% of freight total volume in Bulgaria, being the 3rd largest kind of transport after road and marine. The density of the Bulgarian railway network exceeds the EU average but it falls behind in terms of quality parameters. The key challenge for the segment is that double-track railways exist only in distances between Sofia and Burgas, and Sofia and Varna; all connections with border countries (Romania, Greece, Turkey, Serbia, and Macedonia) are presented with single-track railways, only partially electrified. Moreover there are single-track gaps in Sofia-Burgas and Sofia-Varna double-track routes. To organize constant bi-directional freight traffic between Bulgaria’s key seaports (Varna, Burgas) and Sofia as well as international traffic Black Sea-Adriatic Sea and Europe-Turkey it’s necessary to replace single-track parts with double-track as well as to electrify few segments. This is a key task to be financed with the EU as a part of Pan-European corridors concept. There are 2 freight railroad operators in Bulgaria – a national railroad operator BDZ that holds 95% in freight railroad transportation; and Bulgarian Railroad Company (BRC), a privately-owned Bulgarian-Romanian railway company that operates since April 2005. Passenger transportation is being implemented with BDZ only; there is Sofia Metropolitan that’s the country’s single rapid transit system serving passengers.
River transport holds 3% share in freight total volume in Bulgaria – being the 4th largest kind of transport after road, marine and railroad. The Danube waterway is in itself the Pan-European corridor VII, part of the TEN network. Maritsa is the 2nd most important river in Bulgaria; Iskar is the longest river that runs solely in Bulgaria, and a tributary of the Danube. There are two categories of river ports – a) of national significance; and b) of regional significance. All public transport ports of national significance are public state ownership except the areas for storage of cargo, which may be owned with private operators. All ports of national significance are managed with Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company under the Ministry of Transport. Executive Port Agency implements control over activities in river and marine ports. There are few key river ports of national significance in Bulgaria now – Vidin, Lom, Kozloduy, Oriahovo, Sumovit, Svishtov, Rousse, Tutrakan, Silistra in Danube; Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Dimitrovgrad and Svilengrad in Maritsa; Sofia in Iskar. They provide up to 92% of the total handling/reloading services.
Bulgarian River Shipping Company controls approximately 30% of the river freight flow from and to Bulgaria. Bulgarian River Shipping Company disposes with own fleet, which consists of pushboats, tugboats, passenger ships for short entertainment trips, non-propelled fleet (barges, etc.), Ro-Ro fleet. Country’s largest production companies (steel mills, etc.) have own river fleets that provide up to 60% of freight transportation by river; shipping by the Bulgarian part of Danube is being implemented also with international carriers (mainly German and Austrian).
Airlines hold a small share in freight transportation (less than 1% in freight turnover). At the same time the segment holds up to 23% in passenger turnover, especially in international segment (up to 65% of passengers going from/to Bulgaria).
There are 5 international airports in Bulgaria (Sofia, Burgas, Plovdiv, Varna, and Gorna Oryahovitsa). There are also 13 domestic airports (in addition to 5 international that also work in domestic routes); and also there are 6 unused airports in Bulgaria. Sofia airport holds almost 40% in passenger turnover, Burgas airport – 32% (due to its location it’s the key gateway to the country’s resort zone), and Varna airport – 27% (also resort zone). So these 3 airports hold in total 98% of passenger turnover.
All international airports and most of domestic ones in Bulgaria are state-owned; Civil Aviation Administration under the Transport Ministry owns and manages the airports. State-owned Air Traffic Services Authority implements dispatching for domestic and international flights in Bulgaria.
Private operators implement ground-handing operations in Bulgarian airports; Civil Aviation Administration holds tenders for concession works in airports among the private players. Currently many of the ground-handing operators are owned with foreigners (Swissport Bulgaria AD, Fraport Twin Star, DHL Express Bulgaria, etc.).
State-owned Bulgaria Air dominates in international flights from/to Bulgaria in a sub-segment of regular flights; it’s also the largest regular carrier in domestic flights with almost 70% share. Up to 38-40% of flights in Bulgaria are being provided with low-cost airlines.
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