January 21 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria has submitted eight transport infrastructure projects worth an estimated 391 million euro ($443.3 million) in total in response to the first call for financing proposals under the EU's Mechanism for Connected Europe 2021-2027, the transport ministry said.
State-owned National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC) submitted the largest project, modernisation of a section of Vidin-Sofia railway, with an indicative cost of 292 million euro, the ministry said in a press release on Thursday.
The proposal envisages a speed increase on the Medkovets-Sratsimir section of the line, up to 160 km/h for passenger trains and up to 120 km/h for cargo trains, on a new, 14 km shorter track.
State-owned Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company authored four projects: for the purchase of an icebreaker ship that would operate on the Danube river, overhaul of a breakwater at the port of Burgas, exploring the possibilities for river ports' electrification, as well as identifying potential points at the Danube port of Ruse where combined transport platforms can be built.
Private companies submitted projects for the construction of parking zones for heavy trucks in Vidin, Ruse and Elin Pelin, and development of the Sofia-West multimodal logistics platform.
The European Commission has until mid-2022 to approve the proposals.
($ = 0.8818 euro)