Minister: Serbia Greenlighted for Belgrade-Nis Railway

Goran Vesic {BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)

Minister of Construction, Transportation and Infrastructure Goran Vesic said on Oct. 31 that Serbia had received the green light for the Belgrade-Nis railway and that “the construction permits required to start the project can now be issued.”

In an appearance on RTS Vesic said that Serbia was highly harmonized with the EU in the area of transportation and recalled that since 2000 the EU had handed Serbia “billions of euros in grants.” Vesic also said that eight bills on railroads, fuel, roads as well as a National Transportation Strategy were being prepared which were supposed to be debated by parliament.

He said that the bills would harmonize Serbian legislation with EU rules and added that the works would begin in the second half of next year while the railroad would not be closed to traffic as well as that thejob would last between three and five years. “We will have 230 kilometers of rail, while the construction phases have been split into several phases,” Vesic said.