While the Greek farmers' "embargo" continued to undermine Bulgarian transport companies, on January 21 Bulgarian State Rail BDZ had offered to carry the stuck freight and so ease the load of Bulgarian lorries gridlocked at the border.

The offer, however, has failed to impress transport companies, Dnevnik daily reported on January 25 2010.

Reportedly, only two companies requested BDZ's services to ferry their goods over the border and adhere to their pressing schedules.  

"Inquiries are being made, but there are no actual confirmed orders of such shipments being made," Ivan Baldjiev, manager of BDZ, was quoted as saying.

Transport Minister Alexander Tsvetkov said last week that BDZ was "mobilised and ready" to help with the accumulated freight and have it transported to Greece "quickly and at competitive prices".

According to experts, however, that is not entirely accurate. Georgi Minchev, a member of the executive board of the Bulgarian Association of Transport and Logistics, said that BDZ predominantly ferries "large freight" and "metal produce" popular in other locations around Greece, but not so in Athens. The main Bulgarian exports to Greece, which use BDZ's services, according to Minchev, are machinery, equipment, chemicals and textiles.

"The lack of interest in BDZ's services is easily explained. Lorries offer far more competitive prices to their customers," Minchev was quoted as saying by Dnevnik.

In fact, even with its most competitive offer, the reality is that BDZ remains on average about 20 to 30 per cent more expensive than the average lorry-based transport, thus it is "inconvenient for short distances or to destinations in neighbouring countries".

Traditionally, BDZ's services are favoured when freight has to be transported to and from central Europe or from Bulgaria's ports on the Danube River.