Press release
Athens, 02 February 2022
The studies for the implementation of the last section of the railway link between Greece and Albania begin
Athens, 02 February 2022 – “An important step for the completion of the last part of the interconnection between Greece and Albania and the wider Balkan region was achieved today.
Specifically, a contract for the provision of services was signed for the preparation of studies, based on which the best investment choice will be made for the best implementation of the cross-border cooperation project concerning the construction of the last section of the railway connection between Greece and Albania in the area of Kristallopigi / Ieropigi.
The scope of the contract is part of the ‘CB RAILWAY’ project which aims at developing a joint strategic investment plan for the connection of Greece and Albania, through a new railway line west from Kristallopigi/Ieropigi to Pogradec and southeast to Kastoria Airport, with a total length of approximately 130 km. ERGOSE S.A, the Albanian Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy and OSE S.A. participate in this project, with each of the aforementioned partners undertaking the implementation of specific services and studies, the results of which will be used to feed into the individual studies.
According to the provisions of the contract, the Contractor will cooperate closely with the participating partners of the project in order to provide the necessary data and information that will result from the studies for the implementation of the contract.
In detail the Contractor undertakes to:
- Carry out the financial and socio-economic evaluation of key investment options
- Carry out the Social Impact Analysis
- Choose the optimal investment strategy
- Draft the Technical Implementation Guidelines
- Develop the Management Plan for the preparation of the Strategic Investment Plan
For the implementation of the contract, 85% of the funding is drawn from the European Union and 15% from the national resources of the countries participating in the “Interreg IPA ‘Greece – Albania’ 2014 – 2020 Cross-border Cooperation Programme”. It is noted that according to the terms of the contract, the studies will be completed within five months, including the procedures of controls, approvals and acceptance of the contract.
The President and CEO of ERGOSE, Mr. Christos Vinis, said, “The signing of this contract is the first step towards the completion of the last part of the interconnection of Greece with Albania and the wider Balkan region and Europe. This is a project of strategic importance which brings us one step closer to making Greece a regional hub in the logistics and transport sector.”
For more information you can contact the following contact details:
Tel: 210 5283 492
Email: info@ergose.gr
About ERGOSE:
ERGOSE S.A. was established in 1996 as a subsidiary of OSE and belongs to the public utilities. The company’s mission is to complete a modern railway network that will constitute an important development pillar for the Greek economy and society, contributing to the safety and speed of transport of people, goods and freight. In this context, ERGOSE S.A. currently manages the modernization projects of the railway lines and facilities of OSE co-financed by the Operational Programmes of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) 2014-2020 from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) 2014-2020 as well as projects with purely national funding that are necessary to complete the investments of the co-financed programmes. The company currently employs more than 200 experienced and highly qualified staff, while it has been providing its services for more than two decades, responding effectively and reliably to the implementation of projects through its excellent organization, structure and systems.
