site.btaRhodopes Narrow Gauge Train to Offer Christmas-themed Voyages on 17, 18 and 26 December

This year the narrow gauge railway line through the Rhodope mountains will offer three Christmas-themed voyages through the picturesque landscape of Southwestern Bulgaria. They will take place on December 17, 18 and 26, the website of the Rhodope Narrow Gauge Railway says. 

The first voyage will be on December 17, Saturday, with a train to Velingrad, organized by  Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ). The composition will be headed by steam locomotive 609.76, also knows as "The Little Teapot" and will consist of four carriages. BDZ has hinted that there will be surprises, gifts and lots of fun along the way, the event summary reads. The schedule has a departure time of 9:15 am from Septemvri station, arrival in Velingrad at 12:00 pm and departure back at 2:30 pm. Roundtrip tickets cost BGN 68, which is more expensive than usual due to the special retro locomotive that runs on coal. Tickets can be purchased at any BDZ ticket office throughout the country by stating the date and specifying that the tickets are for the holiday train to Velingrad. The same locomotive will also head the voyage on December 18, which will adhere to the same schedule. Tickets for the two days can only be purchased separately. 

Locomotive 609.76, "The Little Teapot",  arrived in Bulgaria at the end of 1949  it was put into operation on December 21 of the same year, explains Telegraph. In the early 1970s, the railways stopped using it and it was abandoned. It was subsequently listed as a museum piece. In 2004, the engine was restored as a working museum locomotive and now regularly serves tourist and attraction trips on the line.

On December 26, the second day of Christmas, a regular narrow-gauge line will depart at 08:50 am from Septemvri station, according to the Rhodope Narrow Gauge Railway website. During the trip, Santa Claus himself will get on the train to hand out gifts to all the little ones aboard. Santa Claus will go around all the cars throughout the day until the train reaches Dobrinishte station and back, and everyone who wants to meet him can do so from any station. 

This initiative was held in 2018 and 2019 and generated huge interest. During the pandemic, it was postponed and in 2022 it has been reinstated again. 

When buying tickets at any BDZ office for the December 26 train line, is important to purchase a RESERVED SEAT ticket for the morning train at 08:50 in Septemvri (or from the relevant station). The organizers from the Rhodope Narrow Gauge Railway warn that the BDZ ticket staff would refer to the December 17 and 18 voyages as the "Christmas train" and not this one, as this initiative is not organized by BDZ and takes place on the regular narrow gauge train that runs every day. The price of the ticket train is about BGN 15 round trip to Dobrinishte. 

An indicative schedule of the Rhodopes narrow gauge train for December 26 includes an 8:50 am departure from Septemvri station, then stops in Varvara at 9 am, Velingrad at 10:10 am, Yakoruda at 11:55 am, Belitsa at 12:20 pm, Razlog at 12:15 pm, Bansko at 1 pm and Dobrinishte at 1:15 pm. The journey back starts at 2:40 pm from Dobrinishte, with stops at 2:50 pm in Bansko, 3 pm in Razlog, 3:25 pm in Belitsa, 4 pm in Yakoruda, 5:30 pm in Velingrad, 6:45 pm in Varvara and 7 pm in Septemvri station. To experience the event one can get on and off at any stop. 

The Rhodopes narrow gauge train is an attraction all on its own. The route has a total length of 124,7 km. It winds between the Rhodope, Rila and Pirin mountains and offers picturesque views.  On the way are the SPA town of Velingrad, the the highest railway station on the Balkan Peninsula, Avramovo (1,267 m above sea level), the Chepinska and Mesta rivers, etc.