Serbia may soon receive funds from the EU for the reconstruction of the Belgrade-Nis railway, which will be the largest grant ever given to Serbia. This is reported by Euractiv, writes “European Truth”.
The total cost of the project for the reconstruction of the railway is 2.2 billion euros, of which about 600 million should be provided in the form of a grant.
The largest donor will be the European Investment Bank, which has already approved a €1.1 billion loan. The EBRD allocates 550 million, Serbia finances another part from its budget. The largest grant is to be provided through the Western Balkans Investment Framework.
The reconstruction of this section of the railway, 230 km long, is one of the largest such projects for Serbia, and the work is expected to be completed by 2029. After modernization, trains will be able to run at speeds up to 200 km/h.
This section is part of the trans-European transport network, so the EU is interested in its modernization.
Many routes to the EU go through Serbia, and this railway line is considered the most important in the country’s railway network and a key route for connecting Western Europe with the Western Balkans, Greece and Turkey.
source: obzor
