Plans for Construction of Capljina-Trebinje-Niksic Railway Current Again – Continuation of Preparation of Technical Documentation Expected

Although the connecting of BiH and Montenegro was marked back in 2008 as extremely important for the development of the Western Balkans with the signing of the Memorandum on Joint Activities, the realization of the project of the construction of the Capljina-Trebinje-Niksic railway is very slow.

As the Ministry of Transport and Communications of BiH explained for eKapija, in line with this memorandum, the competent ministry agreed with the European Commission for the Feasibility Study for the route to be financed from the CARDS (Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilization) program. The Spanish consulting company INOCSA was picked at the tender to realize this project.

– At the moment, it is not known when the preparation of the next technical documentation is to continue, primarily because said railway is not located on the main and all-encompassing network, which makes it more difficult to get financial funds for further activities – they added.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications of BiH applied the construction of this railway as a project for the Program of Public Investments Until 2023.

Let us remind that the Pre-feasibility Study of the construction of the Capljina-Trebinje-Niksic railway, prepared by the Spanish company INOCSA, was presented in 2011.

Then Assistant Minister of Transport and Communications of B&H Izet Bajrampasic said on that occasion that, of the three potential projects, they had picked the one costing EUR 840 million.

He added that the construction of the Capljina-Trebinje-Niksic railway, which would be 188 kilometers long, could begin between 2015 and 2020 and last for three to four years.

Although the year 2020 is ending, not even all the required documentation has been prepared for the construction of this railway yet, but the hope remains that the current authorities will realize the importance of this project and include it into the Program of Public Investments Until 2023.

The topic of the construction of this railway dates back to 1976, when the narrow-track railway through eastern Herzegovina, established by Austria-Hungary, closed.

S. S.

Ministry of Transport and Communications of BiH

INOCSA Spain

European Commission

CARDS program

EU Community Assistance for Reconstruction Development and Stabilization program

Čapljina Trebinje Nikšić railway

construction of Čapljina Trebinje Nikšić railway

Izet Bajrampašić