The EU is investing over EUR 293 million from the Cohesion Fund in a more modern, faster and safer railway connection between the cities of Plovdiv and Burgas, linking some of Bulgaria's largest cities and one of the most important ports on the Black Sea. The investment is contributing to the completion of the high-speed railway line on the Orient/East Med corridor of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T), connecting Central and South-East Europe.

Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Creţu said: “Thanks to this EU-funded project, Bulgarian people will enjoy shorter travel time and increased safety. Because this project promotes clean mobility in the country, they will also ultimately benefit from better air quality."

The project will reduce travel time for both passenger and freight transport by 40 minutes, with trains reaching speeds between 130 and 160 km/h along the 293km stretch. This will make train rides competitive with road transport, promoting a cleaner mobility in the country. At the same time, a number of measures will improve safety on the line, thanks to new signalling and telecommunications systems and the replacement of the existing level crossings by 29 overpasses, a pedestrian bridge and an underpass.