The Impact Of Railroad Transport On Bulgaria’s Regional Development

Abstract

The article presents a study on the impact of freight railroad transport on the development of Bulgaria’s regions assessed through sectoral and econometric analyses. The analyses are based on indices such as revenues from transport activity of the licensed railway operators by regions, number of staff in the companies, development of the transport infrastructure, and migration growth rate. Most of the publications in this field address the relationship between air and/or water transport and regional development while this study focuses on improving energy-efficient and environmentally friendly modes of transport, such as freight railway transport. Its importance is corroborated through a regression analysis, which shows that the internal migration in the country depends on the development and modernization of its railway infrastructure.