Koznitsa

Bulgaria has begun construction of the longest tunnel in the Balkans, as part of the railway between Sofia and the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Bourgas.

The tunnel is located about 30 kilometres from Sofia in a mountainous area and is 6.8 kilometres long, making it twice as long as Bulgaria's current longest tunnel, in Koznitsa.

Caretaker Minister of Transport Georgi Todorov gave the official start to the modernization of the Elin Pelin-Vakarel railway line which includes the construction of the longest railway tunnel in the country. The entire section is 20 kms. long, the length of the tunnel is 6.8 kms.

The locomotive and two cars of the passenger train Sofia- Karlovo derailed at the railroad switches leading to the Stryama railway station on Sunday morning.

No passengers or crew members on the train were injured, according to the press office of the Bulgarian Railways Company (BDZ).