May 27 (SeeNews) - Russian railway infrastructure company RZD International is in talks with Chinese partners to join the project for the overhaul of the Novi Sad-Subotica section of the railway linking Serbia's capital Belgrade to Budapest in Hungary, the director of the company's unit in Serbia, Mansurbek Sultanov, said on Wednesday.
"A few days ago we sent a letter to the deputy prime minister of Serbia, saying that we started talks on our participation in the project with the Chinese partners. Given the short deadlines, we are the only company in the region that has the capacity to complete the project on time," Sultanov said in a video file posted on the website of public broadcaster RTS.
Serbia signed in July 2018 a 943 million euro ($1.0 billion) deal with China Railway International (CRI) and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) for the overhaul of the 108 km-long Novi Sad-Suboticarailway section. CRI and CCCC are also the main contractors of the project for the overhaul of the Belgrade-Stara Pazova section of the Belgrade-Budapest railway, which is part of the European transport Corridor X.
RZD International will complete within the September 2021 deadline the overhaul of the section of the railway line linking Stara Pazova to Novi Sad despite the coronavirus lockdown, Sultanov said in the video file. "Works on the construction of the Stara Pazova-Novi Sad section are going according to plan, and in some parts they are even ahead of schedule," he noted.
Serbia's government agreed in November 2017 a 247.9 million euro financing for the project for reconstruction of Stara Pazova-Novi Sad railway section of the Belgrade-Budapest line on Serbian territory with RZD International.
($ = 0.9087 euro)