RAILWAY TRACK TRENCIANSKA TEPLA-BELUSA

This operation will finance the modernisation of a 20 km long railway section between Trencianska Tepla and Belusa.

This project is part of the modernisation of the railway corridor between Bratislava and Žilina and will reduce travel time, operating costs, accidents and environmental impacts as well as improve the competitive position of rail in the Slovak transport market.

The project, modernisation of an existing railway, falls under Annex II of the EIA Directive Directive 2011/92/EU, being subject to an EIA depending upon the decision of a screening procedure, determined by the competent authorities. The Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic, as the Competent Authority (CA) determined that the project would be subject to EIA under national regulations prevailing in 2002 (the national EIA Act 127/1994 further amended and completed by Act 391/2000) and an EIA was carried out and approved in 2003 for the complete Nové Mesto nad Váhom – Púchov section. The project is not expected to impact upon Natura 2000 areas, as has been confirmed by the Competent Authority.

EU procurement directives have been transposed into Slovak legislation. The contract notices for the international open tender were published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). The procurement process is accountable under the Cohesion Funds regulations and is acceptable to the Bank.