China signs two railway agreements with Serbia
China and Serbia have concluded two agreements on the reconstruction and modernisation of the rail infrastructure in the Balkan country. China will finance the reconstruction of the Novi Sad – Subotica line, a part of the Belgrade – Budapest high-speed railway. Also, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) has signed a framework agreement with the Serbian Railways Infrastructure company for renovation of the Belgrade – Niš – Preševo line, a part of the international Corridor 10.
The reconstruction of the Novi Sad – Subotica railway is valued at 943 million Euros. It will be financed by the Export-Import Bank of China. According to the previous agreements, all the works will be provided by Chinese contractors China Railway International and China Communications Construction Company in a 33-month period.
The project includes the modernisation of the Novi Sad – Subotica railway with 108.2 kilometres long, installation of 49 under- and overpasses, upgrading of nine railway stations (Novi Sad, Sajlovo, Kisač, Stepanovićevo, Dragon, Backa Topola, Zednik, Naumovićevo and Subotica), construction of three new stations (Rumenka, Vrbas and Lovćenac) and a viaduct of 1.6 kilometres long in Vrbas.
Corridor to North Macedonia
The second document is a framework agreement signed between Serbian Railways Infrastructure and CRBC. It is concerned with the Belgrade – Niš – Preševo line that provides a connection with neighbouring North Macedonia. The project includes the reconstruction of 286 kilometres and is estimated at 760 million Euros. The details will be defined later.
“Modernisation of the Belgrade – Preševo railway will enable fast, high-quality and safer traffic on the Corridor 10 via Serbia in the interests of our citizens, businesses and the state. This project will continue to develop a network of modern railways in our country,” said Miroljub Jevtić, CEO of Serbian Railways Infrastructure company.
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