Concessions for Public Transport of National Importance

June 2023 After the Ministry of Transport and Communications successfully finalised concession procedure for the civil airport in the capital city of Sofia, it announced further plans for potential concessions for public transport of national importance. They include Black Sea ports in Varna and Burgas, Danube river ports in Ruse and Vidin, and an intermodal terminal in Dragoman. The procedures for awarding the concessions have not been started yet.
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Ispartakule-Çerkezköy Railway Project

June 2023 The project aims to increase passenger and freight capacity, safety and speed of rail transport between Turkey and the European Union via the construction of a high-speed rail between Ispartakule and Çerkezköy. The project is a part of the new high-speed railway (the Halkalı - Kapıkule railway line) between Istanbul and Kapıkule near the Bulgarian border. The Halkalı - Kapıkule railway line will connect Turkey’s railway network with the Trans European Transport Network through Bulgaria and will, therefore, set a milestone for the railway connectivity between Turkey and the European…
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Subway Investments

June 2023 The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Metro Istanbul have announced that there are seven metro lines including line extensions to be constructed. These are as follows: Göztepe-Ümraniye Metro Line is currently under construction and expected to be opened in 2024 Kirazlı-Halkalı Metro Line Extension is currently under construction and expected to be opened in 2024 Kirazlı-Bakırköy IDO Metro Line Extension project will commence in 2024 and is expected to be completed in 2025 Tavşantepe-Tuzla Metro Line Extension is currently under construction and expected to be opened…
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Tunnel Under Petrohan Pass

June 2023 The idea to build a tunnel under Petrohan Pass existed for years. The aim of the project for tunnel under Petrohan Pass is to facilitate the trip to North-Western Bulgaria and shorten the distance to Romania. It will also shorten the trip between the Greek port Thessaloniki and the Bulgarian port Lom. An Environmental Impact Assessment is currently being carried out. It can be expected that after the assessment completion the state will seek funding for the project.
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Construction of New Grain Terminal at the Black Sea Port of Varna

June 2023 The new grain terminal will be developed and operated by Logistic Centre Varna, a subsidiary of Buildcom Group. Buildcom is one of the country’s largest traders of grains and fertilizers. It is expected that the terminal will become operational in the second quarter of 2026. It will consist of a new quay, a silo and other storage facilities, as well as a new railway and road access. The investment in the new grain terminal amounts to EUR 100 million. The European Investment Bank has approved a EUR 50 million loan to co-finance the project.
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Rail-2-Sea and Via Carpatia Projects

May 2023 Rail-2-Sea is one of the Three Seas Initiative’s official priority projects. The railway line will lead from the Port of Gdańsk on Poland’s Baltic Coast to the Romanian Port of Constanta on the Black Sea to increase the speed with which freight moves between the two ports. Passenger traffic will also benefit from the project. The initial stretch will feature a single railway line through Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. The railway will fork out into four branches passing through different large cities before all uniting again, passing through the capital city Bucharest and reaching…
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Corridor VIII Railway Project

May 2023 North Macedonia's Public Enterprise for Railway Infrastructure Railways is inviting expressions of interest to do supervisory services for the construction of a new railway section from Kriva Palanka to the border with Bulgaria, part of pan-European Corridor VIII. Corridor VIII is an east-west route connecting Albania's Adriatic port of Durres to the Bulgaria's Black Sea port of Varna via North Macedonia. The assignment is expected to cost EUR 13 million (USD 14 million), excluding VAT. The services are expected to be financed through a grant from the Western Balkans Investment Framework…
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Kanal Istanbul

“Kanal Istanbul” is one of Turkish mega infrastructural projects.
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Modernisation of Belgrade - Nis Rail Link

April 2023 The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Union (EU) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) are financing large-scale modernisation of the rail link Belgrade - Nis. The three organisations are providing a EUR 2.2 billion financing package to Serbia for this project which forms part of the Pan-European Corridor X railway axis. The package includes a EUR 550 million EBRD loan, the largest EBRD loan to Serbia to date. It also includes a EUR 1.1 billion loan from the EIB, and an investment grant of around EUR 598 million from the EU, the largest EU grant…
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Implementation of European Railway Traffic Management System

March 2023 The Bulgarian national company "Railway Infrastructure" (NCRI) has announced a tender for the implementation of the European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS) Level 2 on a railway section between the cities of Ruse and Kaspichan. The project amount is BGN 186,7 million (approximately EUR 95 million) and will be funded under the Recovery and resilience plan for Bulgaria. The deadline for submitting offers is 28 April 2023.
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Financing of Belgrade Metro Project - UPDATE

March 2023 Belgrade metro will consist of two lines that should be developed in two stages in the period 2020 – 2025. The total value of the project is approximately EUR 4.4 billion. Government of Serbia intends to participate in the project, including its financing, and sovereign loans from France and China for this project and awarding it without a competitive public procurement are being put in place. French Alstom is supposed to develop machinery and trains for the line, whereas PowerChina is supposed to do the civil works. It seems that the government will not develop the project through…
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Adria Flood and Drought Risk Mitigation System

March 2023 Establishment of a platform for efficient risk management of Adriatic Sea and related Drainage Adriatic River Basins for secure water supply and food production with emphasis on efficient risk management related to flood/drought, transport and seismic hazards. To assure water supply and food production security in the region which is very exposed to climate change (Mediterranean) next activities are foreseen: Establishment of a common system for hydrological monitoring in Adria River Basins with spatial database of existing infrastructure, which provides and assures secure water…
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