Sofia-based private company Large Infrastructure Projects (LIP) has presented a plan for a new high-speed rail (HSR) line in Bulgaria. The line will also include connections to neighbouring Romania and Greece. According to LIP, the plan is based on two main connections, one between Sofia and Thessaloniki and another on the Sofia – Varna line, with a branch to Ruse and Bucharest, which are supposed to enable speeds of 350 km/h. The Sofia – Thessaloniki double-track line will act as a land bridge between the two cities and be part of the TEN-T core network through the Orient/Eastern-Mediterranean corridor and RFC 7, reducing travel time to 90 minutes. The Sofia – Varna line with a branch to Ruse and Bucharest would reduce the travel time between Sofia main station and Varna by 135 km. This line, which would consist of existing and new tracks, would also enable freight transport and form the main corridor of the railway system in the north of Bulgaria. According to LIP, these projects will be implemented through a public-private partnership (PPP), and are scheduled to be completed six years after the concession contracts are signed.
