During the First World War, the Bulgarian government realized two things: the first is that many of the territories of the country are difficult to access and detached from the world, which makes them an easy „bite” for foreign appetites. The second thing is the Bulgarian army urgently needs wooden material and the only way to get it is from the forests in the Rhodope Mountain.
This is how the idea was born, namely to build a railway route that connects the almost detached at that time Rhodope Mountains with the Upper Thracian Plain, Pirin Mountain and Rila Mountain.
In 1916, the plan for the construction of narrow-gauge road was ready, and in 1920 the 19th National Assembly adopted a law on the construction of a narrow-gauge railway along the route Saranbey (Septemvri) – Ladzhene (Velingrad), Yakoruda, Razlog, Nevrokop (Gotse Delchev).
The digging on the route started in 1920, but due to the upcoming winter it was postponed for next year. From 1921 to 1926 the workers of the labor service succeeded and dug the gorge of Chepinska River and the route reached Ladzhene. The work was very difficult because workers had to drill the mountain almost without any equipment.
However, they managed to do so and in August 1926, at 11.00 a.m., from Snarabey the first narrow-gauge line has left the station. The train traveled on its way, followed by 2 – 3 wagons, it stopped at several stations and stops on its way and arrived at Ladzhene station for 3 hours and 22 minutes.
In the next year, the section Ladzhene – Chepino banya was opened, and in 1928 were laid the railway tracks of the section Varvara village – Pazardzhik.
Once the route reached Pazardzhik, the government adopted a law according to which the name of the Rhodope narrow gauge-road was changed to Tatar Pazardzhik – Nevrokop with a branch Varvara village – Saranbey. This change of the name of the narrow gauge-line was imposed because the idea was Pazardzhik to become first and last stop of the train.
The work continued for 9 more years and the next and most difficult section of the route was commissioned – from Chepino banya to Yakoruda.
In 1939, the section to Belitca station was ready, and Tsar Boris III has come for its opening, and he even drove the train along the route.
Four year later, the section Belitca – Razlog – Bansko was finished, and on 09.12.1945 was opened the last six kilometer long section from Bansko to Dobrinishte. After 1945 the construction work on the railway route has stopped and has not reached Gotse Dlechev.
Although the road remained unfinished according to the original plans, the narrow gauge-line Septemvri – Dobrinishte still performs its initial function to the present day, namely to provide transport connection from and to regions of the Rhodope Mountains that are hardly accessible.
