{"id":11895,"date":"2021-01-22T21:41:19","date_gmt":"2021-01-22T21:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=153699"},"modified":"2021-01-22T21:41:19","modified_gmt":"2021-01-22T21:41:19","slug":"french-chinese-firms-sign-deal-on-belgrade-metro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/01\/22\/french-chinese-firms-sign-deal-on-belgrade-metro\/","title":{"rendered":"French, Chinese Firms Sign Deal On Belgrade Metro"},"content":{"rendered":"
BELGRADE \u2013 Two French companies along with a Chinese firm have signed a memorandum of understanding<\/a> with the Serbian government to build a metro in the capital, Belgrade.<\/p>\n “Today is a great day for all of us because we are one step closer to realizing a decades-long dream,” Serbian Finance Minister Sinisa Mali said during the signing ceremony on January 22 with representatives of Alstom and Egis of France and China\u2019s Power Construction Corporation.<\/p>\n The project is expected to cost 4.4 billion euros ($5.35 billion) and consists of two metro lines covering a total of nearly 42 kilometers.<\/p>\n Construction is due to start at the end of this year, pending signature of the contracts with the relevant Serbian authorities, with completion expected by 2028.<\/p>\n France\u2019s Egis would develop feasibility studies, preliminary design, and environmental impact assessments, while Alstom would be responsible for the metro equipment and infrastructure, including trains, digital train control systems, platform screen doors, and the power supply solutions.<\/p>\n Construction work would be performed by the Chinese company.<\/p>\n The project is to be partly funded by the French and Chinese governments, while the Serbian government is to finance the remainder from its budget.<\/p>\n In 2020 the French and Serbian government signed an agreement according to which Paris agreed to allocate 454 million euros ($552 million) to Belgrade\u2019s first metro line.<\/p>\n The content of a 2019 agreement between Belgrade and Beijing regarding the project has not been made public.<\/p>\n