February 8 (SeeNews) - Macedonia's transport ministry said on Wednesday it took delivery of the last of six passenger trains made in China under a 25 million euro ($26.7 million) deal.
The trains - two of electric-powered and four diesel-powered were manufactured by Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Works, a subsidiary of CSR Corporation and one of the major electric locomotive manufacturers in China. The purchase contract was signed in June 2014.
The two electric trains will start operating on the Skopje-Gevgelija route, whereas the diesel trains will be used on routes across the the country, transport minister Vlado Misajlovski said in a statement.
Earlier this year, the ministry signed a contract for the purchase of four electric locomotives worth a total of 8.7 million euro.
These investments are part of the railway operator's plans for the renewal of its fleet. According to the head of Makedonski Zeleznici Transport railway operator, Nikola Kostov, with the purchase of the six trains and four locomotives some 60% of the country's railway fleet will be renewed.
($ = 0.9345 euro)