Only two of the 11 bicycle transport carriages owned by BDZ-Passenger Transport are in working order. The remaining nine are not in use as they require scheduled repairs and refurbishment. Due to the company’s limited financial resources, there are no plans to put them into operation at this stage. This was announced in official correspondence from BDZ to several non-governmental organizations, including the Ustrema cycling club, the Burgas Cycling Community, Veloevolution, and the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation. If there is interest, the company is willing to discuss opportunities with private investors to finance the repair or purchase of additional carriages.

To meet the growing needs of customers, BDZ converted two freight cars for transporting bicycles, as well as two passenger cars for the Septemvri-Dobrinishte narrow-gauge railway.

According to the railway website, bicycles and e-scooters are allowed on trains that have carriages with a compartment for transporting bicycles or vans. However, these are mainly used for group transport with advance booking. If there are no such carriages, this must be done in all categories of passenger trains – on the platform of the carriages, i.e. in the vestibule in front of the toilet. Customers are responsible for the safety of their bicycles during transport, according to BDZ.

On electric trains, bicycles must be stored in the luggage compartment, where there is one. On diesel and electric Desiro trains, they must again be stored near the toilet.

The issue of bicycle transport remains unresolved with the order of 20 new diesel trains, the first 10 of which are expected at the end of next summer, according to comments from the cycling community.

Currently, a ticket for a bicycle or e-scooter on the train costs BGN 3 (€1.53), regardless of the distance.

It is extremely rare to see a cyclist with a bicycle on Bulgarian railways. That is why we are using a photo of a bicycle carriage in Switzerland as an illustration. There, traveling by bicycle is possible on every passenger train. In the absence of specialized carriages, bicycles are stored upright in special hanging spaces.

See: Transport-poor: With a bicycle in the trunk, 12 km from the sea