Moldova will receive an additional loan from the EBRD in the amount of 23.5 million euros for the modernization of the main infrastructure of the "Railway of Moldova".
In particular, these funds from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well as from other resources allocated by the European Investment Bank and the European Union, will restore a very important section of the Bender-Causeni-Basarabeasca-Etulia-Giurgiulesti railway, which is the busiest railway section in our country and ensures the transit of goods from Romania, Ukraine and Russia. Receiving an additional loan from the EBRD in the amount of 23.5 million euros for the modernization of the main infrastructure of the railway infrastructure provides for an amendment to the loan agreement between Moldova and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the implementation of a project for the acquisition of locomotives and restructuring of railway infrastructure, which was signed on October 6, 2021, and today the Parliament of Moldova approved in the first reading the draft law on its ratification. The loan agreement itself was signed on November 14, 2014. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Andrei Spinu noted that the signed amendment would increase the amount allocated by the EBRD for the modernization of the Bender-Causeni-Basarabeasca-Etulia-Giurgiulesti railway section, from 27.5 million euros to 51 million euros. Herewith, out of 51 million euros - 49.75 million euros will be used for the restoration of infrastructure, and 1.25 million euros - for the implementation of technical supervision of the work. Additional EBRD funding for “Component 2 - Rehabilitation of Railway Infrastructure” will be used to modernize railway infrastructure on the Bender-Causeni-Basarabeasca-Etulia-Giurgiulesti section, which is the busiest rail section in the country, providing transit for goods from Romania and Ukraine. The implementation of this project will contribute to improving the quality of services in this area, as well as ensuring the transportation of goods and passengers without restrictions on speed and weight. At the same time, in the south of the country, it will be possible to carry out rail passenger traffic, which is currently stopped. It should be noted that within the framework of the Project for the acquisition of locomotives and restructuring of the railway infrastructure, Component 1 - Locomotives was previously implemented, within the framework of which, with the support of the EU, 12 new mainline locomotives were purchased for the state enterprise Railway of Moldova. They were supplied by General Electric Transportation from the United States, and the locomotives themselves were produced by its plant in Kazastan. The contract value was 45 million euros. According to the EBRD, the new loan of € 23.5 million is provided following the allocation of another financial package of € 110 million, jointly proposed by the EBRD, the European Investment Bank and the European Union, agreed in 2014 and provided in 2017 for modernization railway infrastructure, the purchase of new rolling stock and support for the reform process of the state-owned railway company "Railway of Moldova". The Moldovan government has requested new funding to continue the infrastructure modernization. To date, with the support of the EU, 12 new locomotives have been purchased and put into operation. The feasibility study of the rehabilitation works has been completed, and in the near future work will begin to restore the section of the Bender-Causeni-Basarabeasca-Etulia-Giurgiulesti railway.// 03.12.2021 — InfoMarket.
