Bulgarian State Railways

The Bulgarian State Railways ( _bg. Български държавни железници, "Balgarski darzhavni zheleznitsi", abbreviated as БДЖ, BDZ) are Bulgaria's state railway company and the largest railway carrier in the country, established as an entity in 1885. The company's headquarters are located in the capital Sofia.

History

The first railway in Bulgaria (Rousse–Varna, with a length of 223 km) was constructed in 1865 by a British company, one of the investors being William Ewart Gladstone, and began operation on 7 November 1866.

The British company transferred the rights to the corporation to Baron Maurice de Hirsch, which was eventually bought by the Bulgarian state in 1888. Between 1870 and 1874, the railway lines in Southern Bulgaria owned by Baron Hirsch had a total length of 309,6 km. They became state property in 1909.

The first railway line in Bulgaria that was entirely designed and built by Bulgarian engineers and designers was opened on 1 August 1888, connecting Tsaribrod, Sofia and Vakarel, and served by the Central Railway Station in Sofia.

According to an 1886 law approved by the National Assembly, the state entirely assumes the rights and responsibilities of constructing, developing and using Bulgaria's railway network; this law also established the Bulgarian State Railways.

References

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External links

* [http://www.bdz.bg/ Official website of the Bulgarian State Railways] in Bulgarian and English
* [http://bueker.net/trainspotting/maps_bulgaria.php Unofficial map of Bulgarian Railways] in Bulgarian and English