The Government in Sofia announced it has authorised the Transport Minister, Ivaylo Moskovski, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Serbia on cooperation in the construction of railway infrastructure along transport Corridor X. The memorandum states the two countries’ intention to explore the opportunities for joint approach to the European funds or other international financial institutions for financing of projects along Corridor X, the Bulgarian government said in a statement. Pan-European Transport Corridor X links Greece with Austria via FYR Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. One of its branches (Xc) connects Serbia’s Niš with Bulgarian cities of Sofia and Plovdiv. The agreement also regulates the introduction of more efficient border control which would facilitate the passage of freight trains.
The signing of the MoU was agreed during a meeting between Bulgarian transport minister Ivaylo Moskovski and his Serbian counterpart Zorana Mihajlovic in January 2018. Bulgaria and Serbia will also cooperate in the development of port infrastructure along the Danube river.
“Bulgaria is actively working on the construction of road and rail links between Sofia and Kalotina. The tender procedure for the Sofia-Voluyak railway section, which is financed by the Connecting Europe Facility, is underway,” Ivaylo Moskovski said.
There is already a technical project for the Voluyak-Dragoman railway line and it is expected that the auctions will be announced at the latest in early 2019. “If there are no significant delays in the tendering procedures within 3 years, we will have a rail link and interoperability of systems between Bulgaria and Serbia, ” Ivaylo Moskovski added.
The border line with Bulgaria is a priority for Serbia and that funding is already provided for the electrification of the railway line from Nis to Kalotina, Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said.
There are also talks at expert level between the two countries to discuss an agreement on cross-border rail traffic between Bulgaria and Serbia.
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