The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide Srbija Voz a EUR 100 million loan for the procurement of 18 new trains.
Under the project, the state-owned rail passenger operator will buy new four-car trains, which will provide comfortable and reliable regional passenger services on the electrified sections of the rail network.
“This project will improve the organization, quality and cost-effectiveness of passenger transport services in regional rail transport, and will enable safer and more comfortable rail transport for passengers,” Jugoslav Jović, Acting General Manager of Srbija Voz said.
Serbia needs to renew its rolling stock fleet as currently the existing diesel trains are the old traction stock, with the average age of 45 years. The fleet technical solutions are mostly outdated, and years of insufficient investment in maintenance have led to a high rate of immobilization and very low overall reliability.
Previously, the EBRD has already supported Serbian railway to buy new passenger coaches and freight wagons which now offer transport services between the country’s biggest cities. As well as investing in the new fleet, the EBRD has also supported Srbija Voz in expanding and upgrading a railway depot in Zemun, providing in 2018 a EUR 37 million second loan. The first one, amounting EUR 30 million, was allotted in 2017. The depot project envisages the refurbishment and upgrade of TPS Zemun, located on the outskirts of Belgrade, to enable maintenance of the new Stadler EMUs and classic locomotive-hauled coaching sets.
In 2017, Serbian Railways and Stadler signed a contract for the delivery of 21 four-car Flirt EMUs used on Belgrade suburban railway network. In 2014, the Serbian operator and Russian Railways agreed on the supply of DMUs.
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