Macedonia Buys New Trains from China

Macedonian Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski and Transport Minister Mile Janakieski signed a deal on Tuesday to buy four diesel and two electric trains from the Chinese company CSR Corporation Ltd.

The new trains, which can transport around 200 people each, will be enough to carry some 60 per cent of Macedonia’s existing passenger trafic.

The money for the new trains comes from a 50 million euro loan secured by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development intended solely for the modernization of Macedonia's antiqued railways.

Macedonia will spend the rest of the money on 150 new cargo wagons and on the modernization of existing passenger trains.

After more than 30 years without a significant modernization effort, the new trains that will start arriving in Macedonia from July next year are expected to revitalize a system that in recent times has seen a decline in passenger traffic.

“We are starting to create a new, different picture of railway transport in our country where the last train was purchased 35 years ago. We will continue with the modernization”, Transport Minister Janakieski said at the signing ceremony.

Chinese CSR Corporation Ltd is one of the world's largest manufacturers of locomotives and carriages. The company last year reported revenue of some 12 billion euro.

The company was awarded the Macedonian tender after beating Swiss train manufacturer Stadler.

This is Macedonia's second large procurement of transportation vehicles from China.

In 2010 China's Zhengzhou Yutong Group was chosen to supply the Macedonian capital Skopje with 202 retro-looking double-decker buses for its public transport system.