EU Guidelines for the Development of the Trans-European Transport Network
The development of the Trans-European Transport Network, which in English is abbreviated as TEN-T (trans-European Transport Network), is important for creating more favorable conditions for business and competition in freight transport and logistics.
Therefore the EU guidelines consider the development of international transport with the construction of new consolidation lines as an important task to ensure the creation of jobs, increasing economic growth and social cohesion for the entire European Union.
Thus, the following will be ensured:
- mobility of people and goods within the EU;
- quality infrastructure connecting all parts of the EU, central and peripheral, island and located inland from the coasts;
- overall operability and modality both within the individual types of international transport and between these types.
Types of transport networks
- Road network: includes motorways and high‑quality roads
- Rail network: includes both high‑speed and conventional railway networks, as well as facilities that help integrate this network with the road network
- Inland waterways: rivers, canals, inland ports
- Sea network: with freight flows along maritime routes
- Air network: includes airports located in the EU that handle commercial traffic
Main priorities in the development of the Trans-European Transport Network
- Filling in missing links on the core network roads
- Long‑term planning
- Increasing territorial connectivity in the EU by integrating the transport networks of the new member states
New guidelines in the policy for network development
The new development of the network involves planning on two levels: a core network and a comprehensive network.
- Core network: includes the most important transport links in the EU
- Comprehensive network: distributing the transport flows coming from the core network
Bulgaria’s contribution to the development of the Trans‑European Transport Network
Our country has an important contribution to this development, as due to its geographical location it is a crossroads of important transport links.
The Balkan region countries: Bulgaria, Romania and Greece, are developing as regional hubs of the Trans‑European Transport Network.
For Bulgaria, both the Vidin – Thessaloniki (north–south) corridor and Burgas – Turkey (eastward direction) are important.
Bulgaria needs significant investments to build the IV corridor of the Trans‑European Transport Network. It also includes the construction of Danube Bridge 2, as well as the modernization of the Plovdiv – Svilengrad railway line.
The country plans to modernize both the railway infrastructure and the road infrastructure.
Priorities for combined transport schemes
Bulgaria has opportunities to implement combined transport schemes. These sea–river type schemes can be realized via Varna – Rousse. The container terminal at Varna West port can be included in the scheme to ensure an increase in traffic.
The country’s transport policy regards increasing transport flows as one of the most important elements of transport policy.
New proposals for including roads, ports and intermodal terminals in Bulgaria
- Five new roads, including the Hemus Motorway, the Rousse – Shumen expressway, the Rila expressway, the expressway
- Varna – Durankulak, the Plovdiv – Rudozem road
- River port: Silistra Port
- Intermodal terminals (ten in number): the terminals in Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv, Rousse, Burgas, Dragoman, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Lom, Vidin, Svilengrad
- Sofia – Gorna Oryahovitsa – Rousse – Bucharest railway
- Road Sofia – Veliko Tarnovo – Rousse – Bucharest.
The construction of the Trans-European Transport Network and the adopted framework agreements for international transport of goods contribute to the development of international exchange of goods and services and to stabilizing the economic growth of the countries in the region.