On 15 September – Railway Day in the Republic of Serbia – the new railway track on the Sopot Kosmayski - Kovachevats section of Trans-European Transport Corridor X was officially opened to trains. RZD International fully complied with its contractual obligations and indeed finished the work on the stretch before the due completion date.
Taking part in the official ceremony to celebrate the section being opened to trains were Zorana Mihajlović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia, Alexander Chepurin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Serbia, Andrei Khripunov, Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Serbia, and the senior management of RZD International and Infrastructure Railways of Serbia.
The reconstruction of the railway line between Sopot Kosmayski - Kovachevats allows trains to travel on the section at up to 120 kph. By carrying out work simultaneously on both the Sopot Kosmayski – Kovachevats and Golubinci – Ruma sections, the contract was completed significantly ahead of schedule. A goods train travelling on the new railway line represented the symbolic beginning of regular services.
RZD International carried out the full range of work involved in the reconstruction of the railway infrastructure on the Sopot Kosmayski - Kovachevats stretch of Trans-European Railway Corridor X, including a complete upgrade of over 18.5 km of the lower and upper structure on the line, the replacement of 7 switching points, the reconstruction of 9 level crossings and the replacement of a metal bridge using an innovative span design.
The agreement on the reconstruction of the northern sections of Trans-European Transport Corridor X was signed between RZD International and Serbian Railways in October 2014 in Belgrade in the presence of the Presidents of Russia and Serbia.
Transport Corridor X links Salzburg in Austria with Thessaloniki in Greece via Zagreb, Belgrade and Skopje. Increasing the speed of the Serbian section of Corridor X, which is one of the main traffic routes in Europe, will result in a significant increase in traffic passing through the country. The reconstructed section is designed to handle train speeds of 120 kph, much higher than the current maximum of 30 kph.
(Source: RZD)