“Our miracle and a great young man” is the way people living in the mountain towns of Bansko, Yakorouda and surrounding villages talk about 19-year-old Kristian Vaklinov. The occasion that made the young boy a hero in their eyes is his victory in the battle with state institutions for restoring the evening train on the Dobrinishte-Yakorouda route. Christian says he has not done anything special and defines himself as a humble boy from the town of Pazardzhik, trying to change things for the better. However, he does not hide his joy that he was able to help local people. The news was quickly spread by media. One of the reasons is that unfortunately there are not many examples of young people standing behind a social cause.

For six years Kristian and his family have been living in Sofia. He currently studies “Finance, Accounting and Control” in the University of National and World Economy. More from Kristian:

"Over the past two years the narrow gauge line has become something of a hobby for me – I travel and take pictures. I gradually got to know various people: employees, locals and travelers. So I went deeper into things and accidentally found out about the problems of the local people. At the end of 2011 the evenings train from Dobrinishte to September was stopped. As a result, dozens of people have quit their jobs, others sleep in train stations, and some needed to buy cars. The train was used by people from villages who start work early morning in the towns of Yakoruda and Bansko. One day in 2012 I decided to do a survey among the passengers.  My classmates helped too. The railway transport has a social function, especially in the region where the narrow gauge line exists. A great number of people rely on this train. During the winter road transport is difficult. There are few buses and the price is twice higher than that of the train. After making the survey I found out about the issue and decided to write several letters to the authorities in Sofia and to try to restore the evening train. "

Kristian wrote to all sorts of institutions, including the State Railways, the Railway Administration Executive Agency, the Ministry of Transport, etc. In most cases, he was either getting no answer, or it was negative. After the government in Bulgaria changed in the spring of 2013 Kristian Vaklinov wrote a letter directly to Prime Minister Oresharski, highlighting social arguments. “In a region where there is huge unemployment, yet positive population growth, stopping the vital train is not normal,” he wrote.

Christian sees a number of opportunities for the line to be preserved and become profitable.

"This scenic train ride is a national treasure, Kristian says. “ It connects the Upper Thracian Plain with three mountains. The train passes through the Rhodope Mountains, Rila and Pirin to reach the Razlog Valley. Its route connects the spa resort of Velingrad with the ski resort of Bansko. Some of the hottest Bulgarian mineral springs are located in this area. The highest railway station in the Balkans is also here at the village of Avramovo (1276 m altitude). This railway is truly attractive and everyone who once rode this train, no matter if they were Bulgarians or foreigners, want to repeat the journey. "

Christian says he loves Bulgaria and hopes to find future for himself here. "I believe that this is where I belong," concludes the 19 - year-old boy.

English version: Alexander Markov