Bulgaria needs to rehabilitate railway infrastructure by the beginning of 2008 in order to increase safety and transportation speed, Transport Minister Petar Moutafchiev said.
Such changes would enable the state railways to compete with automobile transportation, Moutafchiev said.
The Transport Ministry would request 120 million leva for the modernisation works, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported.
Railway modernisation was already underway on some lines. Work on other railway sections was going to start after the signing of a financial memorandum for ISPA funding.
Next year Bulgaria would also approve new regulations concerning the work of the state railways, Moutafchiev said.
The Transport Ministry would also request increase in the funds allocated for passenger transport. The current sum of 74 million leva needed to become 90 million leva, BTA reported.
