Serbia could access EIB loan for Nis-Dimitrovgrad railway project

Serbia could access EIB loan for Nis-Dimitrovgrad railway project

The Serbian government expects to finalise its talks with the European Investment Bank (EIB) over receiving funding for the overhaul of the Nis-Dimitrovgrad railway at the Western Balkan summit in Trieste, Italy, according to Infrastructure minister Zorana Mihajlovic.
In addition to the electrification of the railway section, the talks will also cover a project for the construction of a bypass railway in Nis, Zorana Mihajlovic added. “The final negotiations will be held in Trieste, and we expect the contract to be signed in the short term,” she noted.
In May, the head of the EIB Regional Representation for the Western Balkans, Dubravka Negre, said the EIB plans to invest EUR 36 million this year in the overhaul of the railway between Nis, in eastern Serbia and Dimitrovgrad, at the border with Bulgaria. The investment will be co-financed with the proceeds of a EUR 30 million grant from the European Union which will be channelled through EIB. Last year, the Serbian government estimated the total investment needed for the reconstruction of the Nis-Dimitrovgrad railway at EUR 195 million.