Bulgarian State Railways' Revenue from Luxury Trains up by 15%
2009-01-02, 09:59:44 GMT

The revenue of the Bulgarian State Railways BDZ from private travels by its luxury trains increased by 15% in 2008, the Bulgarian information agency BTA reported Friday.
However, BDZ gets only 2% of its annual total revenue from its special two special luxury trains "The Korona Express" ("The Crown Express"), and "The Vitosha Express".
The Korona Express is made up of cars made in Germany in 1938 specially for the Bulgarian Tsar Boris III and the Bulgarian Royal Family. The Vitosha Express was the train of the Bulgarian communist dictator Todor Zhivkov.
A Korona Express carriage costs BGN 700 per day, and a Vitosha Express carriage costs BGN 600 per day. The cost for the steam locomotive is BGN 950 per day. In addition, special baggage cars and kitchen cars can also be rented.
The most commonly rented type of BDZ luxury train includes one historical passenger car, one kitchen car, and one baggage car, and can fit up to 50 persons.
Apart from these flat fees, the use of the special luxury trains is paid by the number kilometers traveled. The passenger cars cost BGN 10-12 per km, and the locomotive costs BGN 4,5 per km.
The reservations of the historical luxury trains are made at least a week in advance because a special individual schedule for them has to be made.
The number of tourist excursions and corporate trips by Bulgaria's Korona Express and Vitosha Express trains has increased in 2008.
The last such trip was just before Christmas. A UK tour operator has scheduled a tour of Bulgaria at the end of January by a train including cars from both the Korona Express and the Vitosha Express, which will set off in Sofia, and will go through Plovdiv, Veliko Turnovo, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Pleven, Mezdra before returning to the capital city.
Sofia News Agency (www.novinite.com), Jan/02/2009 9:59 GMT