Union Warns of Rail Reform Risks

The head of Bulgaria’s Railway Transport Workers Union, Petar Bunev, has warned that proposed reforms to divide the country’s state-run rail passenger service among three private operators could fragment the market and create “three private monopolies.”

Speaking on behalf of 15,000 workers at a public discussion on Tuesday, Bunev argued that having one operator per region would offer passengers no real choice. “You’ll still have only one option on any given route,” he said, CE Report quotes BTA

Bunev emphasized that real improvements would come through infrastructure upgrades and higher train speeds, not restructuring. He also noted that the market has been open to competition since 2019, suggesting the issue lies with subsidized access rather than lack of opportunity.

The proposal is part of a reform plan led by Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov, who insists that increased competition will improve service quality. However, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) also opposes the plan, saying there is no EU or Recovery Plan requirement for such a division and warning that it could weaken the system due to the country’s small market size.