Croatia, SE European Countries for Strengthening Cooperation in Rail Transport

Representatives of transport ministries from Southeast European countries signed a joint declaration in Athens on Friday on priority projects in railway transport, the Croatian Ministry of Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development said in a statement.

Ministry representatives from Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Moldova presented national rail infrastructure programs. Representatives of Serbia and Montenegro did not attend due to the recent rail accident near Podgorica.

The joint declaration provides for the construction of a rail network connecting the capitals of the region by 2020.

Croatia's priority is investing in transport corridors that are part of pan-European rail corridors, Branimir Jerneić, assistant transport minister for rail transport, said at the meeting referring to Axis 10, which goes from Salzburg via Ljubljana and Zagreb to Belgrade, Skopje and Thessaloniki, Axis 5b from Rijeka to Zagreb and Budapest, and Axis 5c, from Budapest via Osijek and Sarajevo to Ploce.

Jerneić also said Croatia had managed to draw funds from ISPA, the European Union's program for rail transport. The funds will be used to upgrade 38 km of the Vinkovci-Tovarnik railway, for which the EU will set aside EUR35 million. (Hina)
 

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