Kumanovo, 10th November 2012 (MIA) – Construction works for overhaul of Corridor 10 railroad sections Kumanovo – Tabanovce and Miravci – Smokvica on Corridor 10, long 26 km, were commenced at Kumanovo railway station on Saturday.
Activities are part of the Government capital project for complete overhaul of the sections along Corridor 10, long 54 km, for which EUR 17.6 million has been provided. Second stage of the project will include revitalization of Nogaevci – Negotiono section, long 31 km.
– Commencement of the large-scale reconstruction of railroad tracks will significantly improve the operations of the railways, increase safety of this type of transport and ensure increased speed of trains up to 120 km/hour, having in mind that their average speed at the moment is 40 to 50 km/hour, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said at the ceremony of launching the construction works.
Railroad trucks revitalization should be completed in one year, and the activities will be performed by “Wiebe & Alpine” German consortium.
In addition to revitalization of these sections, Gruevski pointed out, preparatory activities for overhaul of Bitola – Kremenica railroad tracks, not being used at the moment, have commenced. Thus, this railroad section will be re-commissioned, contributing to improvement of possibilities for transportation between Macedonia and Greece. Its overhaul, according to the Prime Minister, is also significant for “Zabeni” industrial zone near Bitola, at the same time meeting the demands of the business community for establishing a railway connection between Pelagonija region and northern part of Greece.
Corridor 10 overhaul process also includes reconstruction of the railroad tracks on Kumanovo – Deljadrovce and Dracevo – Veles sections, along with the rehabilitation and upgrading of larger railway stations. By May at the latest, he announced, construction of railroad tracks to Bulgaria on Kumanovo – Beljakovce section is to begin and preparatory activities are already in progress.
Prime Minister underlined that the Government launched a project for procurement of 150 wagons and 4 locomotives. Selection of consultants, to help in the preparation of the tender documentation, is underway. At the end of the first or the beginning of the second quarter next year, analysis is to be complete and tender procedure is to be announced, and at the end of 2013, the contract for procurement of locomotives is to be signed, most of which would arrive in 2014.
According to Vice Prime Minister Zoran Stavreski, in conditions when no one could forecast how long the European crisis would last, Government of the Republic of Macedonia continues with its efforts to stimulate economic activity in the country by maintaining high level of capital investments.
– Financial resources for the project, in the amount of EUR 17.5 million, are provided in conditions when economic crisis imposes larger competitiveness and investments in railway infrastructure as most cost-effective way of transport of goods and therefore it is important for Macedonia for transport of goods to speed up, railway safety on both Corridor 10 and Corridor 8 to improve, Stavreski underlined.
Minister of Transport and Communications, Mile Janakievski, pointed out that commencement of construction activities for rehabilitation of railroad tracks was very important for the infrastructure and were only one segment in the vision of the Government to improve the situation in this area. Government has realized many other activities, among which the reconstruction of Corridor 8 Kumanovo – Beljakovce section, long 30 km, and we expect for tender procedure for a construction company to work on this project to be initiated at the end of this month or the beginning of the next, and works contract to be signed in the first quarter next year, Janakievski pointed out.
Feasibility study and designs on connection with Albania, Kicevo – Lin section, he went on, are already prepared and tender procedure for preparation of main project it to be initiated at the beginning of next year.
Construction works for rehabilitation of railroad tracks on Corridor 10 include rehabilitation of the substructure of the railroad tracks, improvement of technical characteristics of the superstructure of the railroad tracks by replacing rotten wooden sleepers with new reinforced concrete ones, as well as by replacing the rails and placing new ballast. In addition, the project envisages reconstruction of the superstructure at nine railway level crossings, at the same time replacing the existing stations with new concrete elements.
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