Bulgaria’s oldest locomotive and railcar factory, dating back to 1866, has been transformed into a modern industrial, railway and technology hub in Ruse following a EUR 60 million investment by Bulmarket Group, the company’s executive director, Momchil Boyadzhiev, said here on Thursday. The newly opened LVZ Industrial Park covers 17.6 hectares and includes more than 53,000 sq. m of built-up space.

Boyadzhiev emphasized that its flagship LVZ 1866 facility will produce, repair and modernize freight wagons and will service diesel and electric locomotives, with annual capacity for more than 1,000 wagons and 200 locomotives.

Seven companies employing more than 210 people already operate in the park. Bulmarket expects strong interest from international rail operators and wagon owners, citing the site’s strategic location near Romania and the Middle Corridor linking Asia and Europe.

The factory had ceased operations in 2013, before Bulmarket acquired the historic site in 2020 and began a three-year reconstruction in 2023.