Serbia plans to start by October the overhaul and electrification of a 100 km railway line linking Nis to Dimitrovgrad, on the Bulgarian border, prime minister Ana Brnabic said, writes SeeNews
“We will start the overhaul this year. I hope it can happen in the first half of the year, if not, then definitely in October,” Brnabic said, as seen in a video file posted on Wednesday on the YouTube channel of the Serbian Progressive Party.
According to an earlier statement published by the infrastructure ministry, Serbia plans to invest a total of 268.3 million euro ($306.5 million) in the project, including a 134 million euro loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and 73 million euro grant from the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF). A total of 61.3 million euros will be provided by the Serbian state budget.
The project includes the reconstruction of the 80 km-long Sicevo-Stanicenje-Dimitrovgrad section, construction of a 22 km-long single-track electrified bypass around Nis, and electrification of the entire railway line that connects Nis to Dimitrovgrad.
Infrastructure minister Tomislav Momirovic previously estimated that the overhaul will be completed by early 2024.
