Summary
City of Niš is located where Corridor X splits in two branches, towards Bulgaria and Greece. Eight railway lines cross in the city center with more than 260 rail traffic movements per day. It is expected that train movements will increase by 57% until 2020, dramatically affecting the level of noise and pollution in Niš.
The section of the railway line between Niš and the Bulgarian border is the only part of Corridor X in Serbia which is not electrified. The railway corridor X encompassing international routes passes through Niš while connecting Paris to Istanbul and Budapest to Athens. Due to inadequate maintenance and lack of investments over the past twenty years, the condition of the railway infrastructure on Corridor X has deteriorated to such a degree, making the railway significantly less competitive than other means of transport.
Therefore, construction of the railway bypass ensures dislocating freight transport from the city centre, thereby separating passenger from freight traffic on the city access section. Removing the freight traffic from the city central zone would reduce damage, pollution and noise levels. This solution contributes to further development of the city of Niš and the surrounding area.
Total length of new railway bypass is 22.4km. Three new bypass stations are designed: Niš Sever, Pantelej and Vrežina, and one temporary junction point Prosek removed after the railway section Niš-Dimitrovgrad was electrified.
This new railway track increases speed, reduces traveling time of transit trains and decreases time of technological operations at the stations.
Detailed information
Audio-video materials:
Modernization of railways - project documentation for construction of a single-track railway bypass around Niš:
http://www.eib.org/attachments/registers/73022649.pdf