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Weekly Lists
October 20, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 23
bne:
Infrastructure
Chinese investors interested in ex-military airport in Serbia’s Uzice
Chinese companies are interested in investing in Ponikve Airport in the western Serbian town of Uzice, according to the local authorities, which have proposed an acquisition or a public-private partnership (PPP).
Ponikve Airport is mainly a military installation that has been opened for civilian air traffic and holds a permit for handling and dispatching smaller aircraft (with eight to 12 seats). While it has potential for development, being close to mountain resorts like Zlatibor and Mokra Gora, it is not yet fully equipped to serve civilian passengers so an investment is highly important.
“We will take the proposal ... with us to Beijing to be analysed by experts. If the project is estimated to be profitable, we will return and continue the negotiations,” said Linda Wong, the head of the Chinese delegation that visited Uzice in October.
Construction of a new bridge over the Danube river between Hun- gary’s Komárom and Slovakia’s Komárno was formally launched by the prime ministers of the two countries on October 17.
The bridge, which will cost €117mn, is to replace an existing bridge over the Danube between the two towns, which has become too small to handle current volumes of traffic. As well as being able to carry heavy trucks, the new bridge and related infrastructure will also divert heavy traffic away from the centres of the two border towns and connect ports on both sides of the Danube.
"We will replace the bridge from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The bridge that was built was designed for horses and pedestrians. No one was thinking about having to carry cars, lorries, trucks,” said Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at the launch ceremony.
Lithuanian Railways (LG) will rebuild a 19km section of rail providing a shortcut to neighbouring Latvia, the company said on October 18.
LG’s decision to restore the tracks, which were dismantled in 2008, follows a fine of €28mn imposed on the company by the European Commission in early October. The Commission ruled that the dismantling of the tracks was an attempt by LG to push the Polish- owned Orlen Lietuva to haul production from the Mazeikai refinery to Lithuanian ports, using LG.
New Danube bridge to replace old "Austro-Hungarian" link between Hungary and Slovakia
Lithuania to rebuild railway link to Latvia