EIB Global, the branch of the European Investment Bank (EIB) devoted to activities outside the European Union, has signed a €38 million agreement for the rehabilitation of 148 km of railway on rail route 10 in Kosovo. The renewal of track and the railway stations on Kosovo’s international rail network will help increase travel speed and improve passenger and freight capacity. These improvements will lead to a modal shift from road to rail and contribute to more environmentally sustainable mobility in the region.

As part of the Western Balkans core railway network and an extension of the TEN-T, the Kosovo rail route 10 project will improve regional connectivity and integration on the Orient/East-Mediterranean Corridor. The EIB loan comes in addition to investment and technical assistance grants channelled through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), together with a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This is the second EIB loan tranche for this railway project, reaching the total amount of €80 million for the modernisation of Kosovo’s railways.

In the last ten years, the EIB has supported the global rail sector by providing more than €39 billion of investments, helping to construct or upgrade almost 2 000 km of tracks and 304 stations. In the Western Balkans, EIB Global is a lead financier of strategic railway routes and provides technical and advisory support for the preparation, planning and implementation of projects for the modernisation or upgrading of the rail network. To date, the EIB has invested over €1.2 billion in the rail sector across the Western Balkans, supporting regional cooperation and connectivity.