Scientific paper ID 2774 : 2026/1

The condition and maintenance of the railway infrastructure is of essential importance for the implementation of a permanently reliable and safe railway transport process in Bulgaria. The totality of railway facilities, technologies, systems and safety subsystems, their serviceability and, last but not least, the human factor are the basis for making ensuring traffic safety in railway transport a top priority. Railway systems are increasingly threatened by stochastic disturbances, such as adverse weather events and mechanical failures, which can significantly compromise operational reliability. This study investigates the reasons why train disruptions have occurred on railway sections in recent years. The interruptions of the transport process due to technical failures and malfunctions of the contact network equipment, external factors including bad weather conditions, accidents and incidents were considered. Other factors such as external interventions or accidents in neighboring systems have also been taken into account, as they have affected the provision of the transport process. The study uses an analytical approach to assess how different types of disturbances affect train movements and overall system performance and identifies mitigation strategies, such as adaptive planning and predictive maintenance. The findings aim to support the development of robust railway operations capable of maintaining high reliability in the face of uncertainty.