August 12 (SeeNews) - Serbia plans to complete the project for the overhaul and electrification of the 100 km long Nis-Dimitrovgrad railway line by the end of 2023, state-owned railway infrastructure company Infrastruktura Zeleznice Srbije said.
The project, financed mainly by the European Investment Bank (EIB), will allow the redirection of railway traffic from the city centre of Nis, Infrastruktura Zeleznice Srbije said in an e-mailed statement on Sunday.
Serbia plans to invest a total of 268.3 million euro ($300 million) in the project, including a 134 million euro loan from the EIB and 73 million euro grant from the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF). A total of 61.3 million euro will be provided by the Serbian state budget, Infrastruktura Zeleznice Srbije said.
The project includes the reconstruction of the 80 km-long Sicevo-Stanicenje-Dimitrovgrad section, construction of a 22 km-long single-track electrified bypass around Nis, as well as electrification of the entire railway line that connects Nis to Dimitrovgrad, on the border with Bulgaria, Infrastruktura Zeleznice Srbije added.
($ = 0.893459 euro)