One of the candidates to supply 20 high-speed emission-free push-pull electric trains protested the transport ministry’s decision at the end of April to terminate the public procurement. The complaint of the company “Patentes Talgo” (Patentes Talgo Sl) was submitted to the Commission for the Protection of Competition on April 29 and proceedings were opened.
The other candidate – CRRC Kungdao Sifang Co. Ltd. (CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co. Ltd.), did not object to the removal of both participants in the procedure and its termination.
The order was for the delivery of 20 single-deck zero-emission electric “push-pull” trains for 200 km/h, with a capacity of at least 300 seats, maintenance for a period of 15 years and training of the personnel. Its value was BGN 1.2 billion, and the money was provided under the recovery and sustainability plan.
However, the transport department decided that the technical proposal of “Patentes Talgo” does not correspond to the previously announced conditions of the order to deliver the machines until 2026, in order to fit into the deadlines for absorbing the European funds from the recovery plan. Therefore, the participant was removed from the procedure. The same thing happened to CRRC Kungdao Sifang Co. Ltd, but the reason is because it did not extend the validity period of its offer. Therefore, the ministry terminated the procedure and it was decided that the order will not be announced again, because apparently the manufacturers cannot make the trains in a short period of time.
Then the department explained to Mediapool that Brussels has given us a delay for the delivery of the trains until the middle of 2026, and an analysis is currently being made as to whether to issue new orders, but not for this type of train, but for double-decker or motorcars.
However, the current appeal may hinder the intentions of the authorities and certainly further delays the implementation of the project financed under the recovery plan.
The trains had to run on 14 long routes. The main directions were Sofia – Svilengrad, Sofia – Gorna Oryahovitsa – Varna, Sofia – Burgas via Karlovo, Sofia – Ruse, Ruse – Dimitrovgrad – Plovdiv, Sofia – Blagoevgrad and Sofia – Vidin.
