The planned restoration of a direct passenger railway connection linking Kyiv, Bucharest, Ruse and Varna has been put on hold after Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine failed to resolve financial issues surrounding the service.
This became clear from a written response by Transport Minister Georgi Peev to a parliamentary inquiry submitted by Democratic Bulgaria MP Chilo Popov. The minister explained that although the three countries had held negotiations and reached initial agreements, the project has not progressed because of unresolved funding issues.
In April, the Transport Ministry announced that Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine had agreed to launch direct passenger trains between Bulgaria and Ukraine from the beginning of June. The discussions began earlier, between January 13 and 16, during a conference focused on preparing international passenger train schedules and services for 2026-2027.
Ukrainian Railways initiated talks with BDZ Passenger Transport on restoring and developing regular international rail links between the two countries. According to the Ukrainian side, between 200,000 and 250,000 Ukrainian citizens travel to Bulgaria every year, with passenger numbers increasing significantly during the summer tourist season.
