During a meeting with Hungarian Minister of Innovation and Technology, Laszlo Palkovich, the Serbian Transport Minister, Zorana Mihajlović, announced that Belgrade – Budapest railway is a top priority project.
“Together we are implementing an extremely important project for our two countries and the construction of the fast track between Belgrade and Budapest was the first topic of the meeting,” Mihajlović said.
Belgrade-Budapest rail line will have a total length of 350 km, of which 184-km section is on Serbian territory.
In April 2018, China Railways International and China Construction Company, which are responsible for the reconstruction of the Belgrade – Stara Pazova section, part of Belgrade-Budapest railway line, invited interested companies to submit bids for execution of works under tracks, works on the railway superstructure and the procurement of materials.
In July, Serbia and China signed a EUR 943 million agreement for the modernisation and reconstruction of the Belgrade-Budapest rail link.
For the project, RZD International is also carrying out construction and modernization works of the double-track railway on the Stara Pazova – Novi Sad section, which exceeds 40 km in length. USD 248 million is the value of the contract.
The project is included in the new EUR 5 billion investment programme that begins this year and includes projects for all transport modes. The modernization of the Nis-Dimitrovgrad line is also highlighted in the new investment programme. The project envisages modernisation and electrification works on the 100-km line, in the country’s east part. The project will include the construction of a bypass around Nis. According to estimations, EUR 260 million is the cost of the project, for which, the EU approved a EUR 75 million grant and the rest of the sum will be covered by the government and EIB.
The programme is focused on transport infrastructure which allows efficient connects with the European transport network. “Serbia has no time to wait, it is important for us to connect as soon as possible with Europe, because a lot of time has already been lost,” Mihajlovic said at the Kopaonik Business Forum.
“Everyone is welcome to invest in Serbia, but everything that is being built in Serbia, regardless of where the contractors come from, must be in line with European standards. For example, for the Belgrade-Budapest railway line, a notification body has been selected that will check that everything that is built and installed, from the beginning to the end of the project, is in line with all standards, “said the Deputy Prime Minister.
Over the past few years, Serbia has reconstructed about 500 km of railways, alike on the main rail corridors and regional railways, and reformed the railway companies.
Share on:
