site.btaIntermodal Transport Hub to Be Built at Bulgarian-Serbian Border

November 25 (BTA) - An intermodal transport hub will be built at the border between Bulgaria and Serbia. Agreement to this effect was reached on Thursday between Bulgaria's Transport, IT and Communications Minister Hristo Alexiev and Serbia's Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Tomislav Momirovic, Alexiev's ministry reported. The two had a working meeting in Tsaribrod (Dimitrovgrad), Southeastern Serbia.

Visiting the railway station in Tsaribrod, Alexiev and Momirovic agreed to continue the negotiations for joint operation of the station by Serbia and Bulgaria. Alexiev pointed to the need to streamline and upgrade the technical procedures for train engine replacement, optimize the train timetable and minimize environmental damage by promoting railway and intermodal transport.

Sofia and Belgrade will make a joint proposal to the European Union to add the Dragoman-Nis transport section to the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). "Bulgaria made great efforts to ensure the inclusion of the section from Sofia to Dragoman in the main TEN-T network, and now we have agreements signed to build road and railway infrastructure along that route," Alexiev said.

He will initiate a Bulgaria-Serbia-EU meeting to discuss an extension of the section to Nis, which, he said, is Bulgaria's shortest way to Europe.

The two delegations also crossed the border into Bulgaria to inspect the construction of the Europe Motorway. RY/VE

Photo: Bulgarian Transport Ministry