France to grant a loan of about 76 million euros to modernize the Chisinau-Ungheni railway infrastructure
The Government of the French Republic will provide our country with a loan of €75.77 million to modernise the Chisinau-Ungheni railway infrastructure. At today's meeting, the Government approved the opening of bilateral negotiations in this regard. Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Lilia Dabija stressed that the modernisation of this railway segment is a project of strategic importance for sustainable economic development.
According to Lilia Dabija, the signing of this Protocol will contribute to the development and modernisation of the infrastructure of the Chisinau-Ungheni railway sector, over 128 km long, part of the Vălcineț-Bălți-Ungheni-Chișinău-Căinari section, with a total length of 446 km.
"This is a very important road sector, which ensures the decongestion of road traffic on the railway sector. This will keep the road condition at a high level and will also increase the speed of traffic on the railway infrastructure, both for freight and passengers", Lilia Dabija said at a press conference.
According to the project, the modernisation of the railway infrastructure refers to the change of the signalling system and installation of facilities to ensure its autonomy in case of disconnection from the electricity supply, change of rails, sleepers, arrangement of railway level crossings, procurement of maintenance maintenance platform cars, national railway networks.
The Minister said that this loan is complemented by another loan from the EBRD and the EIB of more than €33 million, as well as a €20 million grant from the European Commission under the Solidarity Lands project and a further €10 million from the EIB in the form of a grant.
"All this, together with the credit to be negotiated with our partners in France, will rehabilitate this strategically important section," said the Minister.
Lilia Dabija also said that the negotiations were aimed at obtaining preferential credit terms.
