Project details

Project Description

The Orient/East-Med Corridor crosses Kosovo from the north to the south on Route 10, from the border with North Macedonia to the one with Serbia, and constitutes Kosovo’s connection to the wider region by rail. The entire track is in poor condition, with serious structural constraints that limit traffic to 60km/h. Route 10 is part of the extension of the Core Network Corridors of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) into the Western Balkans. It has a total length of 256 km long, out of which 149 km are in Kosovo.

The route in Kosovo will be rehabilitated in three phases:

Phase 1: Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje – border with North Macedonia;
Phase 2: Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje – Mitrovicë/Mitrovica;
Phase 3: Mitrovicë/Mitrovica – border with Serbia.

This investment project concerns Phase 1 and will enable outdated switches, tracks and trackbed, culverts, bridges and tunnels along the Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje – border with North Macedonia route to be replaced/renovated.

The project received WBIF support on several occasions, including for Phase 1:

A €38.5 million investment grant from the EU under the Connectivity Agenda in 2015 to cover 50% of the investment costs for Phase 1;
€3.2 million grant from the EU and WBIF Bilateral Donors for the preparation of design, tender documents and for the supervision of works;
€0.5 million grant from the EU for the feasibility study for the modernisation of Route 10.

The construction works started in July 2019 and are expected to be finalised by mid-2021. More details on the project can be found in the project summary included on this page.

Project image © Kosovo Railways Infrastructure (Infrakos).

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.