The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development provides EUR 47 million to the Serbian railway passenger operator Srbija Voz to finance the expansion and upgrade of a maintenance depot in Zemun on the outskirts of Belgrade.
The first tranche of EUR 30 million was signed on December 7, by Finance Minister Dušan Vujović and Acting General Director of Srbija Voz Jugoslav Jovic, on the Serbian side, and Director for Transport Sue Barrett and Director for Serbia Daniel Berg, on the EBRD side.
“This project will ensure the durability and reliability of our fleet of new, modern trains, especially our new ‘Electric Multiple Units’, procured also through the EBRD loan funds. Therefore we would like to express our gratitude to the government of Serbia, the Ministry of Construction, Traffic and Infrastructure, and the EBRD for their great support in the development and promotion of railway transport in Serbia,” Acting General Director of Srbija Voz Jugoslav Jovic said.
The upgrade will give the company more maintenance capacity as part of the modernisation of Serbia’s railway system. The Zemun depot will become the main maintenance site for its fleet, and the only one suitable for its recently acquired Electric Multiple Units, also financed by the EBRD.
“Modern and efficient rolling stock maintenance facilities are essential for the company’s sustainable operations. We believe that the project will promote the modal shift from road to rail, thus supporting the transition to a green economy in Serbia,” said Sue Barrett, EBRD Director, Transport.
As well as improving servicing, the project will have a knock-on effect on the quality of passenger services, the useful life of the fleet and the growth of rail passenger transport. This shift from road to rail and the lower CO2 emissions that go with it are among green benefits, as are plans to integrate energy efficient technologies into the project. An action plan to further improve corporate governance will also be adopted and implemented.
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