With World Bank Support, Serbia to Step Up Maintenance to Better Safeguard Major Railway Investments

WASHINGTON, September 3, 2024 - Serbia will step up maintenance of its railway infrastructure with a new $65 million support from the World Bank. This is the second tranche of the Multiphase Programmatic Approach (MPA) for Serbia Railway Sector Modernization Project, which is helping the country build a safer, more efficient, and climate friendly rail sector.

Serbia has invested substantially in the expansion of its rail network in recent years, with estimates at over $2.3 billion to date and efforts forecasted to continue for the next five to six years. Regular maintenance is therefore essential for safeguarding these major public investments and to ensuring the quality and safety of these critical transportation services.

“Through this phase of the project, the goal is to enhance the capacity to better maintain the existing railways infrastructure, modernize railway maintenance facilities and improve asset management and planning’’ said Nicola Pontara, World Bank Country Manager for Serbia. “This stage of the program also opens up the opportunity for greater involvement of the private sector in intermodal interventions and last-mile connectivity.”

As in Phase 1 of this MPA, this stage of the project is jointly co-financed in equal parts by the World Bank and French Development Agency, reflecting the two institutions’ mutual alignment of key policy priorities in areas such as green transport and regional integration.

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