The money for the reconstruction project of 39 kilometers of railway from Bar to Golubovac is not yet ready, and the Railway Infrastructure (ŽICG) expects to get the money for it through grant and loan agreements worth 224 million euros, which they will sign during this year. Only after those steps and getting the green light for the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for this project, a tender for the contractor can be announced.
This is what ŽICG officially told "Vijesta" and added that the tender could also be announced in 2025.
224 million euros are available to Montenegro for the reconstruction of the railway with the aim of corridor development from Bar to the border with Serbia and the further network of trans-European corridors, half of which are donations from the European Commission (EC) and the rest are loans from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
ŽICG points out that these two banks are currently reviewing the Elaborate and checking its compliance with European directives, standards in the field of environmental protection and the social aspect.
At the end of September, the Environmental Protection Agency made a decision that ŽICG must prepare an Elaborate for this project, for which they were given a deadline of two years. The report was also requested from the National Parks (NPCG), because the railway partly goes through the NP "Skadarsko jezero" and the ecological network "Natura 2000", i.e. the habitats of protected plant and animal species. In addition, the route also passes near the Bar peninsula Ratac.
"Funds for this project are currently not operational. Procedures related to donors and banks are ongoing, including the review and harmonization of technical documentation, such as the Environmental Impact Assessment Elaborate. The signing of the contract on the financing of this project, which includes a grant and a loan package, is expected during the year. Only after the finalization of those procedures, the funds will become operational and available for the implementation of the project. After signing the contract and securing financial resources, ŽICG will call for tenders for the execution of works (following the procedures of the EIB and EBRD), which is planned in accordance with the dynamics of the completion of all the mentioned activities", they said from ŽICG.
They are preparing documentation
The start of the works, as they claim, directly depends on the completion of the procedures related to financing and approval of the Elaboration, and ŽICG expects that the works will begin shortly after the end of the tender, if there are no delays in the procedures or delays by the institutions. They explained that they are currently working on the preparation and review of technical documentation and harmonization of procedures with donors and banks.
As they say, the project is being prepared by a designer engaged through the technical support of the Fund for Infrastructure Projects of the European Union (IPF), within the framework of cooperation procedures within the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF). ŽICG clarified that this work is performed by an international consortium consisting of leading infrastructure companies from France, Norway and Germany...
"The selection of the designer is organized by the EC, with the coordination of the WBIF Secretariat and the support of international financial institutions. The study was submitted to ŽICG, EIB and EBRD by the designer in November last year. However, the banks involved in financing the project (EIB and EBRD) are currently reviewing the content of the study to ensure its compliance with European directives and standards in the field of environmental protection and social aspects. After all parties agree and the banks give their consent, the study will be sent to the Environmental Protection Agency for review and approval. It is expected that this process will be completed as soon as possible, in accordance with the procedures," said ŽICG.
When asked whether the state has prepared part of the money for this project in the budget for 2025, ŽIPCG pointed out that it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance and the Department of Transport, which decide on the distribution of money for this type of project.
The project is part of the corridor expansion
The reconstruction project is part of the expansion of the corridors of the main trans-European network between neighboring countries, in order to better connect the Port of Bar with these corridors and Serbia, because the railway currently does not meet the conditions such as installations, a speed of 100 kilometers per hour and the reception of freight trains of longer of 750 meters...
The highest speed of trains on this section today is from 70 to 80 kilometers per hour, because the maximum projected speed of 100 kilometers per hour cannot be achieved due to the current condition of the track. In addition, it is written in the project documentation that this route was put into operation at the end of November 1959, that it runs on electricity and that it is used for passenger and freight traffic.
In addition to these two routes, ŽICG submitted two more railway reconstruction projects to the Agency, in order to determine whether they require elaboration. At the end of September last year, it was decided that for the rehabilitation of the upper train of the railway from Podgorica to Golubovac on a stretch of 9,5 kilometers, there would be no need to prepare an Elaboration. Apart from this project, this document is not required for the reconstruction of the 19,5 kilometer railway from Bioč to Podgorica.
At the end of November 2024, ŽICG submitted the same request in order to decide on the reconstruction of 10,7 kilometers of railway, between the towns of Trebješica and Lutovo in Podgorica. In December, the Agency made a decision that even this project does not require preparation of an Elaboration.
They also build ramps, crossings, canopies...
The project does not include the reconstruction of bridges and tunnels between Bar and Golubovaci, but new railway platforms, overpasses, level crossings with ramps will be built, curve radii will be changed, signalization will be changed...
In addition, in the documentation that ŽICG submitted to the Agency in mid-September with the request for a decision on the Elaboration, it is also written that the closest protected cultural property to this project is the Ratac monastery in Bar, which is located about 610 meters from the railway, while there are no protected natural and cultural goods.
"There are no protected cultural assets at the project location itself, but in its immediate vicinity there are the following immovable cultural assets protected by Montenegrin regulations: the settlement of Vranjina, the Lesendro fortress, Virpazar, Litine near the entrance to the Sozina tunnel and the monastery of Bogorodica Ratačka...", it is emphasized in document.
During the works, standard pollution from machines, noise, emissions of harmful particles is expected, while after the reconstruction, the railway will pollute through increased traffic, emission of fumes from the railway sleepers, raising of dust, noise, potentially dangerous situations due to the transport of hazardous materials...
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