– Ten new diesel-motor trains will be found on the Srbian tracks within next two years. On the international public tender, which was invited by “Serbian Railways”, four companies answered, and within next thirty days it will be decided where from these diesel-motor trains will be bought. The funds were provided owing to the credit of the international railway bank “Eurofima”, – said today Operations Directorate Director of the “Serbian Railways” Dragan Grujić.

Four big European companies answered to the international public tender for the procurement of the diesel-motor trains of the “Serbian Railways”: CAF from Spain, ŽOS Vrutky from Slovakia, METROVAGONMAŠ from Russia and Gredelj from Croatia.

According to the tender conditions, new trains should be found on the Serbian tracks for two years at the latest, but in the “Serbian Railways” there is a hope that the delivery will start for one year, and that all ten trains could arrive in the middle of 2011.

As it was planned, the new diesel-motor trains will be used for improvement of the interior, especially regional railway traffic, on the non electrified railway lines in Serbia. Beside the quality and comfort, the trains will have to fulfill every request of the International Railway Union, as well as directives concerning ecology.

International railway bank “Eurofima” approved credit in the amount of 43 million Swiss franks to the “Serbian Railways”, which will finance the realization of this Project.
Bearing in mind the world economic crisis, “Eurofima” decided to approach the credit affairs much more carefully, when it comes to both the loan value and necessary guaranties. “Serbian Railways” is the only railway department in the region that applied for with the procurement project of new rolling stock; therefore it is the only railway company for which the fund was approved.

Since the “Serbian Railways” applied for the amount of 60 million Swiss franks from “Eurofima” in total, there is a possibility that the remaining 17 million Swiss franks is approved to the “Serbian Railways” in the following period for the procurement of the additional diesel-motor trains.