The port of Burgas, in Bulgaria, will invest 10,7 million euros to connect two terminals via rail: the Burgas East-2 and the Burgas West. With the upgrade, the two facilities will be able to move more than 100 additional wagons every day, according to the Bulgarian government.
When it comes to the Burgas East-2 terminal, two railway tracks will be added to service four berths. This will allow the handling of 38 more wagons every day, from 128 to 166. For the Burgas West location, six new railway tracks will be implemented, increasing the daily capacity by 69 wagons, from 33 to 102, the Bulgarian government specified.
The project has been christened East-West Connections. The majority of the funds, 85 per cent, will be financed through the Connecting Europe Facility – Transport. The remaining 1.6 million and change will be invested by BMF Port Burgas, the private company operating the port. “With our joint efforts, we will achieve economic growth and strategic strengthening of Burgas as a key transport hub on the world map”, said Angel Zabutorov, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications.
The port of Burgas
The port of Burgas has a strategic location on the Black Sea. It is part of the Baltic Sea – Black Sea – Aegean Sea TEN-T corridor, stretching from Athens, in Greece, to Helsinki, in Finland. Moreover, the Bulgarian port is a strategic node for trade between Europe and Asia via the Middle Corridor, as it is connected to the Georgian port of Poti on the opposite side of the Black Sea.
The East-West Connections initiative is not the only one aimed at boosting rail freight at the port of Burgas. Between 2022 and the beginning of 2025, the rebirth28 project was implemented, which included a 630-metre railway in the Burgas West terminal and a new deep water berth to accommodate bigger ships. The rebirth 28 project was also funded by European funds via CINEA, who invested almost 40 million euros.
RailFreight Summit
The synergies between rail and ports will be one of the main highlights at the RailFreight Summit, taking place in Gdansk, Poland on 8 and 9 April 2025. Sessions will include panels with port authorities and terminal operators. You can find out more about the programme here and get your ticket here.