The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will consider the Belarusian government's invitation to participate in the construction of a railway line between Minsk and the airport, BelTA learned from Head of the EBRD Office in Belarus Alex Pivovarsky on 4 December.
The EBRD representative said: “In order to continue the conversation, we need a business plan and many more details we've already requested from the government. It will be a new sector in Belarus for us if we can continue the conversation about it. So we are going to consider it in the next few months.”
The EBRD is ready to consider its participation in the project in the context of certain transformations in the sphere of railway transport. He specified that larger commercialization in this sector was the idea, not privatization.
Speaking about the preliminary cost of the railway line construction project as large as $150 million, Alex Pivovarsky noted that the EBRD could most likely finance the project in association with other international banks.
BelTA reported earlier that the feasibility study for building the railway line between Minsk and the airport is supposed to be ready in March 2020. The volume of investment the project requires will be determined more precisely then. The possibility of participation of various banks in the project is under consideration now. The choice of the bank will depend on the terms the specific bank is willing to offer.