After German company “Wiebe” as the contractor decided to terminate the agreement for the building of the railroad from Kumanovo to Beljakovce in North Macedonia, the independent supervior of this construction project has started several activities for inspection of the current situation of the project. So far, 55% of the construction works for the railroad has been finished, and after the recap has been made, new tender documentation will be made and a new tender for a contractor will be published, following the rules of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, informed the Public Enterprise for NRM’s Railroad Infrastructure.
The enterprise stressed that the independent supervision engineer has a valid contract with them and he has been working intensively on the preparation of the recap of what has been accomplished so far by the German company Wiebe.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications stated for Meta.mk that the Government expects from the public enterprise, in the shortest possible time, to prepare all of the documents necessary for publishing a new procedure for selecting a new contractor and supervisor for the construction of the first direct railroad link between North Macedonia and Bulgaria.
More than a month ago, on four occasions, Meta.mk has sent emails to company Wiebe’s central in Germany asking for an explanation for its withdrawal from the project, but we received no reply from the former railroad contractor.
The Public Enterprise for Railroad Infrastructure states that the break in the construction works during the first phase of the building of the railroad connection with Bulgaria will not influence the start of the works in the second phase of the railroad – from Beljakovce to Kriva Palanka. They consider that the construction works can take place simultaneously at both railroad segments in the forthcoming period, with an initial focus on building the structures in the second phase. The tender for the selection of the most appropriate contractor who will be building the railroad tracks from Beljakovce to Kriva Palanka is underway.
