Many people gathered in the town of Septemvri on Wednesday to celebrate with a special folklore programme the 70th anniversary of the only operating narrow-gauge railway in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria's only operating narrow-gauge railway runs between Septemvri and the town of Dobrinishte, which is located near the ski resort of Bansko.

The train covers the distance of 125 kilometres between the two terminal stations in around five hours, travelling at an average speed of 25 km/h.

There are 25 stations on the scenic route, which passes through the Rila, Rhodope and Pirin mountains.

The station near the village of Avramovo is located at an altitude of 1267.4 metres, making it the highest-situated train station on the Balkan peninsula.

The construction of the narrow-gauge began in 1921 and was built in six stages, with the last section between Bansko and Dobrinishte opened on 9 December 1945.

Recently, one of the trains has been renovated and fitted with new seats, curtains and windows, while the renovation of the remaining trains is forthcoming, private bTV station informs.

For hundreds of local people, the narrow-gauge continues to be the only mode of daily transport and it has increasingly become popular with tourists.