Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) will organize trips with a special retro train every Saturday in August on the route from Sofia to Bankya and from Bankya to Sofia. The train will run on the occasion of the commemoration of the anniversary of the founding of the Bulgarian State Railways in August 1888 and the celebration of the railwayman's holiday.

The locomotive is part of the railway carrier's museum heritage. It was produced in 1960 in Austria with extremely modern technical equipment and furnishings for its time. Until 1994, it was used for trips by government representatives. It is currently used for hire by clients for private travel as well as for film productions and video shoots.

Rail enthusiasts will have the opportunity to touch the coach used by state leaders and enjoy the comfort of traveling on it with two trips per day organized every Saturday in August from Sofia Central Station to Bankya and back. The first trip will depart from Sofia at 08:30 and arrive in Bankya at 08:55. In the opposite direction, the train will depart from Bankya at 16:20 and arrive in Sofia at 16:45. The second journey will be with departure time from Sofia Central Station at 09:40 and arrival in Bankya at 10:05 a.m. and back from Bankya at 6:15 p.m. with arrival in Sofia at 6:39 p.m.

For those traveling by coach, a full-day stay in the resort town is planned, with the possibility of more time for various activities. In addition to the renewed Central Mineral Bath in the city with its beautiful architecture and the wonderful city park, visitors to Bankya with the retro train will have enough time to organize a picnic, a cool walk in the Lyulin Mountain along the "Path of Health", which starts from the center of the city or to enjoy the sunny summer days in one of the city's mineral pools. Preferential conditions are provided for those traveling by train when visiting the producers' bazaar in the city.

The price of a ticket for adult travel in both directions on the unique train is 30 leva, including a reserved seat. For children up to 10 years of age, the ticket is half price, i.e. 15 leva. Seats in the bus are limited!

Tickets and reserved seats for traveling with the attraction train can be purchased online at the following link https://bileti.bdz.bg/ and from ticket offices and railway desks in all stations in the country.

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Diesel engine #19 001.7 was manufactured in 1960 in SGP - Wien, Austria. It consists of one first-class and one second-class department. The first class compartment has 9 luxuriously comfortable headrests and additional individual reading lighting with light that can be directed according to the traveller's wishes. The second class compartment is made up of 28 soft seats distributed according to the 2+2 scheme. The seats in both passenger compartments can be rotated depending on the direction of travel and reclined to a semi-reclining position.

The train has a luxurious and precisely furnished bar with a coffee machine, a refrigerator and all the facilities for preparing cold and hot food.