STRABAG consortium building Bulgarian railway line for more than € 200 million

• Modernisation of 11.2 km section between Elin Pelin and Kostenets

• STRABAG with 51 % stake in consortium

• EU co-financing for Bulgaria’s largest railway infrastructure project 

STRABAG has been picked to participate in the largest railway project in Bulgaria in the past 50 years. Together with local consortium partner GP Group AD, the publicly listed Austrian construction group was awarded Lot 3 for the modernisation of the Elin Pelin–Kostenets railway line. The contract value amounts to around € 202 million (BGN 395 million), with STRABAG holding a 51 % share. 

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The project, being co-financed by the EU, comprises the detailed design of an 11.2 km railway line for passenger and freight traffic with operating speeds of up to 160 km/h. The consortium has also been entrusted with the construction of the line as well as eight tunnels with a total length of 5.5 km, viaducts, eleven bridges and the signalling infrastructure. Approximately 400,000 m³ of concrete are expected to be used in the project. By way of comparison, the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, required around 330,000 m³ of concrete. The project is scheduled for completion within a period of 66 months. 

Bulgaria’s most ambitious infrastructure project

The renewal of the Elin Pelin–Kostenets railway line is the most demanding and largest railway construction project in Bulgaria within the past few decades. The 51 km long line is divided into three construction sections with a total contract value of € 517 million.