The Government will allocate an additional 2.5 million EUR from the current budget reserve to the Railway Infrastructure of Montenegro (ŽICG), as the 10 million EUR allocated through this year’s maintenance program is insufficient for normal operations of the state company.
ŽICG informed the Ministry of Transport that the initial 10 million EUR is below the minimum required to maintain the railway system properly, citing the inability to procure necessary spare parts, materials, and equipment for legally mandated infrastructure maintenance.
The funds are also inadequate to cover employee salaries in accordance with the “Europe Now 2” program. ŽICG emphasized their critical role in ongoing maintenance, traffic regulation, and securing international funding for reconstruction projects.
They warned that without increased funding, the aging infrastructure—over 50 years old—faces risks of operational failure, technical breakdowns, and safety hazards for people and property.
Although reconstruction of the Golubovci-Bar railway was initially planned to start this year, the project will be delayed. Key prerequisites such as signing financial agreements with the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, completing the main project design, and issuing a tender for contractors have not yet been met.
