RETROSPECTIVE 2014 - Investments in TRANSPORTATION that attracted greatest attention of eKapija users

The eKapija investment team has recently done an analysis and formed a ranking list of investments and investment ideas that attracted the greatest attention of eKapija users in 2014. The results are very interesting, some are expected, but there is a plenty of surprises, which is why we have decided to share this information with you.
Traffic jams in the capital city of Serbia still pose a nightmare for the citizens of Belgrade and those coming to the capital. If we take a look at the retrospective of investments in the category of TRANSPORTATION, half of the projects listed are focused on finding a solution to the problem of traffic collapse in the capital, while economic activity is missing this time.
Belgrade got a new bridge late last year as well as the documentation for another bridge near Vinca which should make the ring road around Belgrade complete and enable the moving of freight traffic out from the city center. On the other hand, some steps were taken towards resolving the issues related to bus and rail transport. Namely, preliminary designs were done for relocating the main bus station from the city center to New Belgrade, and the construction of Prokop railway station finally started.
A good news for those coming to the city center by car is that new garages in downtown will be built in 2015.
Our readers were happy to read that it would soon take people about one hour to get to Zlatibor from Belgrade. It was also announced that a highway would, after all, connect the capital city of Serbia with Bijeljina.
When it comes to the economy, two logistics centers caught a lot of attention - DB Schenker Srbija and Ralu logistike. How all these projects are doing will be known in the years to come, and now let's take a look at the rear-view mirror…
The bridge connecting Zemun and Borca, along with access roads 10 kilometers long, was opened to traffic late last year, which secured it the first place on eKapija's ranking list. Popularly called "Chinese", this bridge across the Danube, named after famous Serbian scientist Mihajlo Pupin, was built by the Chinese company China Road and Bridge Corporation as the main contractor.
The new bridge is 1507 meters long, 29.1 meters wide and 22.8 meters tall, while the length of its main span is 362 meters. The bridge has a total of six traffic lanes and walking and cycling tracks on both sides of the bridge. Total value of this bridge with all access roads is around USD 260 million, 85 percent of which are covered from a loan granted by China's Exim Bank, while the remaining 15 percent are provided by the Republic of Serbia and the City of Belgrade.
First part of the project is done. The next thing to do is build another bridge across the Danube, near Vinca. The route is already determined, and this big project deservedly ranks second. The plan made by CIP Institute of Transportation covers two segments - highway and rail bypass around Belgrade. Current calculations say that this bridge will be much more expensive because the investment value of construction and planning, along with all indirect expenses that include administrative taxes, permits, expert supervision, etc., totals about EUR 470 million.
Last year we also found out how the new bus and railway station would look like. This investment is ranked third on our list. The new main bus station in New Belgrade will feature 15 incoming and 58 outcoming platforms, whereas the future main railway station will have a total of 8 platforms. The winning design that will serve as a basis for further development is a work by the team of authors of Proaspekt - Vladimir and Milan Lojanica. In addition to railway and bus stations, the future complex in New Belgrade will also include attractive office space. Once the project is fully completed, this part of the city should feature a total of 180,000 square meters of office space, while three 23-storey towers will give a special tone to this location.
The problem of parking in downtown Belgrade may soon be solved with the construction of four underground garages, the fourth-ranked investment on our list. Garages will be built beneath Studentski trg Square, in Kosovska Street, near the National Library (in Skerliceva Street) and in the vicinity of Djeram market, and this project is among those with the highest priority in Belgrade in the following period. As City Manager Goran Vasic announced, the first garage will be built at Studentski trg Square, where works are expected to commence either this year or early 2016.
Ranking fifth is an investment we've been awaiting for decades - the new railway station Beograd centar in Prokop. The winner of a tender to build this facility, which was issued early 2014, is a consortium of companies led by Energoprojekt Oprema. The value of the contract is somewhat below EUR 25.8 million, and the money for this purpose is provided from a loan of the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development. All work on the reconstruction of station facilities is to be done in 420 days, meaning that we can expect completion of the first phase late this year.
All of us were delighted to hear Transportation Minister Zorana Mihajlovic saying that dit will soon take us a little over an hour to get to Zlatibor from Belgrade because, as she pointed out, Corridor XI, that is, the Belgrade-Cacak highway, must be finished by early 2017. Construction of a Corridor XI section from Obrenovac to Ub and from Lajkovac to Ljig commenced in August 2014, winning the sixth place on our list.
We are now getting to the reconstruction of Vojvode Stepe Boulevard, that is, the seventh-ranked investment on our portal's ranking list. The plan is to finish the entire reconstruction of this important traffic artery in Belgrade, as well as the roundabout at Autokomanda, by July 2015. Although the initial plan was to complete the first two phases of reconstruction two months ago, none of the sections on currently the biggest building site in the capital city has been finished yet.

Part of the bank of the Danube River near Kovin may soon become a luxury marina. The author of this project is architect Nebojsa Petkovic, a scholar of the Kovin municipality. Although the preliminary design is all there is for now, this interesting project is ranked eighth.
Belgrade strives to offer all the services that other capitals around the world provide. In November 2014, Car4use came to Belgrade to offer a new way of renting vehicles and won the ninth place on our list. Thanks to this company, it will take those interested in renting a car only few clicks to take the car of their choice at one end of the city and leave it after use at the completely opposite end. This service will cost about RSD 1,000 per hour.
In the year behind us, DB Schenker Srbija announced it would move to a new logistics center in the vicinity of Belgrade. This facility will include 2,600 square meters of storage space and 700 square meters of office space. It is located 25 kilometers northeast of Belgrade, 50 kilometers away from Novi Sad, with its significant advantage being the proximity of E-75 highway and Nikola Tesla Airport. This investment is ranked tenth on our list.
RALU Grupa has bought 90 state-of-the-art towing trucks worth a total of EUR 6.5 milllion, which is one of the largest transactions of the kind in the region. Also, the company plans to build a logistics center in Serbia, similar to the one they already have in Croatia. This investment, ranking eleventh, is expected to be implemented this year.
Possibility of connecting Bijeljina and Belgrade by a highway is ranked twelfth on eKapija's ranking list, althouth its realization is still far from the start.
Take a look at the complete ranking lists of investments in TRANSPORTATION and compare it with your own opinion, expectations and assessments.

One more thing - have you already read which projects attracted your greatest attention in the category of HEALTHCARE, AGRICULTURE AND FOOD INDUSTRY, ENERGY, SHOPPING CENTERS, TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND IT, TOURISM, ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION, INDUSTRY?

eKapija.com Beograd

CRBC Bejing

The Export-Import Bank of China

Grad Beograd

Vlada Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo građevinarstva, saobraćaja i infrastrukture Republike Srbije

Saobraćajni institut CIP d.o.o. Beograd

ProAspekt d.o.o. Beograd

Grad Pančevo

ENERGOPROJEKT OPREMA a.d. Beograd

Car4use d.o.o. Beograd

Schenker d.o.o. Beograd

JUP Urbanistički zavod Beograda

JP Direkcija za građevinsko zemljište i izgradnju Beograda

JKP Parking servis Beograd

Energoprojekt Visokogradnja a.d. Beograd

Energoprojekt Niskogradnja a.d. Beograd

Železnice Srbije a.d. Beograd

Opština Kovin

Fakultet tehničkih nauka Univerziteta u Novom Sadu

Ralu d.o.o. Beograd

DEWACO MAN Truck&Bus Importer Srbija i Crna Gora d.o.o.

China Road and Bridge Corporation

Exim bank

Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development

Car4use

RALU Grupa

retrospective

retrospective 2014

retrospective transportation

retrospective transportation 2014

Zemun Borca bridge

Pupin Bridge

Chinese bridge

bridge across the Danube

bridges across the Danube

Corridor X

Corridor XI

bus station in new Belgrade

Bubanj potok

Vladimir Lojanica

Milan Lojanica

underground garages in Belgrade

parking in Belgrade

Goran Vesic

Prokop

Zorana Mihajlovic

Vojvode Stepe Boulevard

Autokomanda reconstruction

marina near Kovin

Nebojsa Petkovic

logistics center

logistics centers

Belgrade Bijeljina highway

Ralu logistika

DB Schenker