ŽICG gets another 2,5 million from the budget

Railway infrastructure asked for additional money from the government to be able to operate because 10 million is not enough for them

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A railway line over 50 years old (Illustration), Photo: BORIS PEJOVIC
A railway line over 50 years old (Illustration), Photo: BORIS PEJOVIC
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

The government will pay 2,5 million euros to the Railway Infrastructure Company (ŽICG) from the current budget reserve, because the 10 million they received through this year's ongoing railway infrastructure maintenance program is not enough for this state-owned company to function normally.

The Government's decision at the session two days ago was preceded by a letter from ŽICG to the Ministry of Transport stating that the 10 million euros allocated to them was "below the minimum for the functioning of the railway system, due to the inability to procure all spare parts, materials and equipment necessary for the maintenance of all infrastructure elements defined by law."

In addition, this sum is small for them because they cannot pay salaries to employees under the Europe Now 2 program, and they emphasized their key role in carrying out ongoing maintenance, regulating traffic, and performing activities necessary for securing and implementing international financial resources for reconstruction.

"In order to preserve the safety and functionality of infrastructure that is more than 50 years old and that is subjected to the pressure of time, use and climate impacts on a daily basis, it is necessary to provide a larger amount of funds for ongoing maintenance. Any further attempt to maintain traffic with existing funds leads to a direct risk of traffic disruption, technical breakdowns and potential consequences for human lives and property," is the justification for providing additional funds.

ŽICG is set to begin the reconstruction of the Golubovci - Bar railway, but despite earlier announcements that the work would begin in 2025, the works will not begin this year because key prerequisites have not been met - the signing of a financial agreement with the project's financiers, the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the main project has not been completed, and the tender for the contractor has not been announced.

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