A belt conveyor for conveying bulk material comprising: a flexible conveyor belt loop tensioned around a pair of end pulleys at opposite ends of the belt conveyor, the conveyor belt loop having a momentarily upper transport section extending along a transport path over a transport deck and a momentarily lower return section extending under said transport deck , trough forming guide surfaces under opposite side edge portions of said transport section and extending along said transport path , said trough forming guide surfaces each being inclined upward from said transport deck from under said transport section of said conveyor belt in a laterally outward direction transverse to the transport path , wherein the transport section of the conveyor belt rests on the transport deck and on the trough forming guide surfaces with transverse sag so as to form a trough extending along the transport path , and wherein a lower section of the transport path is steeper than an upper section of the transport path contiguous with said lower section, characterized in that: the belt conveyor further comprises, under a transition from the lower section to the upper section, at least one roller having a horizontal axis of rotation perpendicular to the transport path and having a circumference of which a section projects upwardly from the transport deck , wherein the trough is locally shallow or absent in a section of the belt above the roller. a flexible conveyor belt loop tensioned around a pair of end pulleys at opposite ends of the belt conveyor, the conveyor belt loop having a momentarily upper transport section extending along a transport path over a transport deck and a momentarily lower return section extending under said transport deck , trough forming guide surfaces under opposite side edge portions of said transport section and extending along said transport path , said trough forming guide surfaces each being inclined upward from said transport deck from under said transport section of said conveyor belt in a laterally outward direction transverse to the transport path , wherein the transport section of the conveyor belt rests on the transport deck and on the trough forming guide surfaces with transverse sag so as to form a trough extending along the transport path , and wherein a lower section of the transport path is steeper than an upper section of the transport path contiguous with said lower section, characterized in that: the belt conveyor further comprises, under a transition from the lower section to the upper section, at least one roller having a horizontal axis of rotation perpendicular to the transport path and having a circumference of which a section projects upwardly from the transport deck , wherein the trough is locally shallow or absent in a section of the belt above the roller. the belt conveyor further comprises, under a transition from the lower section to the upper section, at least one roller having a horizontal axis of rotation perpendicular to the transport path and having a circumference of which a section projects upwardly from the transport deck , wherein the trough is locally shallow or absent in a section of the belt above the roller. <EOS>