The narrow gauge railway Septemvri – Dobrinishte of BDZ is the only functioning narrow gauge railway in Bulgaria. The spacing is 760mm. The distance of 125 km between the first and the final station is taken for about 5 hours with average speed of 25 km/h. The narrow gauge railway is used both by the inhabitants of the municipality and as a tourist attraction. Many historic movies and videos have been shot on its territory.
The way leads from Septemvri (on main road Sofia – Plovdiv) to Dobrinishte, through Velingrad, Yakoruda, Razlog and Bansko, connecting the most western part of Gornotrakiyska Valley with Western Rodopi, Rila and Pirin. Due to the specific features of the mountainous terrain, the narrow gauge railway Septemvri – Dobrinishte is also known as the Alpine Railway of the Balkans. The difficult terrain is determining for the trains’ low speed. Avramova station located at 1267 m above sea level is the highest railway station on the Balkans.
The railway is constructed at several stages between 1921 and 1945. Its total length is 125km and there are plenty of artificial facilities – bridges, tunnels and spiral ascends.
As this is the only narrow gauge railway in Bulgaria, it is interesting for both Bulgarian and foreign tourists. The shunting diesel engine with hydraulic transmission system constructed by Henschel – 80 001.2, which needs repairs, is also unique at national and international level.
