Agreement signed on EU grant for Belgrade-Nis high-speed rail line

BELGRADE - An agreement on the first tranche of a 598 mln euro EU investment grant for the construction of a Belgrade-Nis high-speed rail line was signed on Tuesday.

The agreement on the grant, which is a part of a 2.2 bln euro financial package for Railway Corridor X, was signed by European Investment Bank regional director Alessandro Bragonzi and Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Goran Vesic on a train travelling from Belgrade's Prokop station to Ripanj, on a route that will be a part of the high-speed rail line.

The signing was also attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi and Serbian Minister of European Integration Tanja Miscevic.

Vucic thanked the EU, noting that the grant was the largest ever received by Serbia.

The tranche will fund the construction of a 17.7 km rail line section from Stalac to Djunis.

The 230 km Belgrade-Nis high-speed rail line is due to be completed in 2029 and expected to register 2.3 mln passengers a year.