The official launch of the "East-West Connections" project of BMF Port Burgas to improve the rail accessibility of the port of Burgas was given today at the International Congress Center.
The initiative is co-financed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for transport and aims to significantly improve the rail accessibility to the port of Burgas.
"This is a typical example of teamwork. From now on, the implementation of this project is a great basis for the development of the port and for increasing its capacity. In our country, over 50% of cargo comes or goes by rail," said Boris Balev - Executive Director of BMF Port Burgas.
"This is the fifth project financed under the Connecting Europe Facility Program". In addition, it is an example of a well-functioning port model with the support of the local government and the public-private partnership model represented by the DPPI, the Ministry of Transport and BMF Port Burgas. Therefore, congratulations on the teamwork on all projects," said Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Angel Zabutov.
"We as a local authority always support such projects, as the air will become cleaner and the cost of transportation will decrease. This will bring greater competitive advantages to Burgas and our port, which means more cargo, more jobs and even greater economic sustainability for the region," said Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov.
The "From East 2 West Connections" project aims to build a new railway infrastructure at the Burgas West Port Terminal and Burgas East-2 Port Terminal, which will increase the efficiency of loading, unloading and shunting operations and encourage the transition to rail transport.
"The development of the railway infrastructure is of strategic importance at the European level, not only for more efficient port operations, but also for the integration of the port as part of the European transport scheme. This will lead to faster and smoother cargo transport, thereby reducing harmful emissions and improving the environmental environment in the region," added Ivaylo Ivanov - Executive Director of the State Enterprise "Port Infrastructure".
The implementation of the project will minimize the environmental footprint by implementing electric shunting locomotives and direct railway connections with internal intermodal terminals. The new port infrastructure, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, will allow for seamless transfer of cargo between ships and rail transport, which will lead to a significant reduction in harmful emissions and support more environmentally friendly logistics.
The project is important for the implementation of the European Union's priorities for reducing the carbon footprint in the transport sector by implementing low-emission technologies in loading and unloading operations. The initiative will establish the port of Burgas as a key transport hub along the Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea corridor.
The event was also attended by the Director of the Maritime Administration - Burgas, Deputy Mayor for Budget and Finance of the Municipality of Burgas, Stanimir Apostolov, representatives of the local government, partners and experts.
