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Native name | Холдинг Български държавни железници |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Bâlgarski dâržavni železnici Holding |
| Company type | Government-owned corporation |
| Industry | Transport |
| Founded | 1888 |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Bulgaria |
Key people | Georgi Drumev |
| Services | railway passenger and freight transportation |
Number of employees | 17867 |
| Website | www.bdz.bg |
The Bulgarian State Railways (Bulgarian: Български държавни железници, romanized: Balgarski darzhavni zheleznitsi, abbreviated as БДЖ, BDZ or BDŽ) are Bulgaria's state railway company and former largest railway carrier in the country, established as an entity in 1888. The company's headquarters are located in the capital Sofia. Since the 1990s, the BDŽ has met serious competition from automotive transport. Up to 2002 the company also owned/managed the state railway (up to 2,485 miles (3,999 km) total of 1,435 mm (4.708 ft) & 760 mm (2.49 ft) (Septemvri to Dobrinishte only) track gauge railway tracks) infrastructure in the country, when according to EU regulations[clarification needed] a new state company, the National Railway Infrastructure Company, was founded and became the owner of the infrastructure.
Bulgaria is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Bulgaria is 52.