The first 2 Smartron locomotives, delivered by Siemens Mobility under the contract for the supply of 10 machines from the series for BDZ - Passenger Transport, will bear the names of two of the most famous Bulgarian rulers - Khan Asparuh and Khan Tervel.

Both machines arrived in Bulgaria in mid-December from Germany via Romania. They were delivered to the client almost 2 months ahead of the schedule.

After their foiling in the color scheme chosen by BDZ, the locomotives were immediately included in the new BDZ passenger trains schedule, which is in force since mid-December. The remaining eight Smartron locomotives are expected to arrive at the depots of the Bulgarian national railway carrier by May 2021.

Today, "Khan Asparuh" departed for the first time from the Central Station in Sofia on the route Sofia - Plovdiv - Varna - Sofia at the head of a composition of passenger wagons completely renovated in Bulgarian factories. 

The event was attended by the CEO of Siemens Mobility Bulgaria Kalin Ivanov, the Executive Director of Holding BDZ Nikola Vassilev, the CEO of BDZ - Passenger Transport EOOD Lyuben Nanov, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC) Hristo Alexiev, representatives of the Ministry of Transport and other officials. At Poduene station, they were joined by the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Rosen Zhelyazkov, the Mayor of Sofia Mrs. Yordanka Fandakova and the General Director of NRIC Krassimir Papukchiiski. The officials inspected the renovated building of the railway station complex and attended a solemn prayer service.

"Today is a very important day for us. 15 years after the delivery of the first Desiro diesel trains for the needs of BDZ, we are taking together another key step towards the modernization of the rolling stock of the national carrier. And we are proud to be part of this exciting journey", said Kalin Ivanov, CEO of Siemens Mobility Bulgaria. "With its high-tech features, operational profitability and environmental advantages, the Smartron concept is gaining more and more supporters. For us it is a reason for special joy that Bulgarian companies, both private and state-owned, are among the first to take advantage," he added.

BDZ - Passenger Transport is the third Bulgarian company to buy Smartron, after PIMК Rail EAD and Bulmarket Cargo Rail EOOD.

Smartron is a pre-configured locomotive that combines all the advantages of a standard product with the proven technology of the Vectron platform. It is available for Bulgaria, Germany and Romania. The concept is based on the proven platform of Vectron locomotives, which has already demonstrated its reliability in over 370 million kilometers of service.

The Smartrons for Bulgaria will operate on a 25-kV AC power system.  They are designed for a standard track gauge of 1435 mm and weigh about 83 tons.

The design of the new Smartron locomotives was chosen after an online voting on the BDZ website, in which nearly 30,000 people took part. The winner was the Green Force livery, which highlights the environmental benefits of rail transport.

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