On 15 February, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed an agreement for a further EUR 38.5 million of co-financing through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) for Kosovo’s railway infrastructure projects. Previously, the bank provided a loan of EUR 39.9 million to finance the three-stage modernisation of country’s railways.
“We are grateful for the significant contribution the EU is making through the Western Balkans Investment Framework to this crucial project for our country. This is not only important financially but also a signal of the trust, commitment and confidence the EU, the EBRD and our international partners are putting in us. Improving connectivity and augmenting our links with the rest of the world is the way forward for Kosovo,” Bedri Hamza, the Finance Minister of Kosovo said.
The loan will be used to improve the connection between Kosovo’s railway network and the wider European network through Pan-European Corridor VIII and Corridor X, running southwards to FYR Macedonia and northwards to the Serbian border. The grant covers the southern section of Kosovo’s rail route 10, linking Fushë Kosovë near the capital Pristina with the border of FYR Macedonia.
The project also includes two other sections, Fushë Kosovë to Mitrovicë and a northern section from Mitrovicë to the Serbian border, also benefiting from EU and WBIF financing.
Within the projects, 148 km of railway lines will be modernised within three stages. The first involves the upgrade of a 64-km link from Fushë Kosovë to FYR Macedonia border, Mitrovicë- Fushë Kosovë (64 km) will be modernised in the second stage and the modernisation of 42 km of line between Serbian border and Mitrovicë will complete the entire project of the Corridor X modernisation in Kosovo.
The Kosovo rail route 10 project is part of the Western Balkans core railway network, an extension of the Trans-European Transport Networks, which is part of the EU’s wider efforts to promote transport connectivity in the Western Balkans.
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