Raz: State Launching Modernisation of Eight Regional Rail Routes for €200 mn

Bratislava, June 11 (TASR) - The state is launching the reconstruction of eight regional railway lines worth €220 million due to be financed from the recovery plan, Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee) and rail-infrastructure operator ZSR general director Ivan Bednarik told a news conference on Wednesday. "We're launching the reconstruction of eight routes across Slovakia. This reconstruction will cost 220 €million in total and will be fully financed from the recovery plan," specified the transport minister. According to Raz, the money was prepared for reconstructing tracks, but it will also be used to replace power cables and to reconstruct bridges and platforms. "These are very important funds that railway lines in Slovakia and in the regions need really badly," underlined Raz. "If we want to persuade people to switch gradually to public transport, we need it to be reliable, to run on time, to be fast and as comfortable as possible. This is another step in this direction. I believe that we'll be able to continue to reconstruct," stressed the minister. According to Bednarik, money from the recovery plan is just one part of the money from which railway infrastructure is financed. "The total volume of investment from the recovery plan is planned at €518-527 million, and it should cover 12 railway projects. We're now talking about eight because they are currently on the table and the procurement will be completed or started. We have a deadline of June 30, 2026," added Bednarik. "In addition, we've invested a huge amount of money from other operational programmes, such as the so-called Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), from which we've invested €500 million to date, and our ambition is to draw €1.6 billion," said the ZSR director. ko/df