Belgrade – Pest in 3 hours. Track to be finished in 24 months from issue of building permit

(Photo: Milica Stevuljević)

General Director of Infrastrukture Železnica Srbije AD (Serbian Rail Infrastructure) Goran Maksić announced that the contract for modernization of the Belgrade-Budapest track that has been signed in China will shorten the inter-city travel time from eight hours to less than three. Trains on this stretch will reach speeds of up to around 200 kilometres an hour.

“The total length of the track is about 340km, with 184 in Serbia and 166 in Hungary”, explained Maksić. “The existing line in Serbia has just one track in bad condition, so it takes about eight hours to get from Belgrade to Budapest. After the modernization in which a double track is planned, the travel time will be shortened to under three hours.”

Maksić added that this will contribute to making the railways more competitive as they are currently losing the race on that route to road traffic.

According to Maksić, trains will be able to run at speeds of around 200km per hour on this stretch of track, which will be equipped with a modern generation of installations. He said that a contract had been signed on modernization and reconstruction of the Hungarian-Serbian rail connection in Serbia between the Serbian government as financier, Infrastruktura železnica Srbije as investor and a Chinese consortium that will carry out the works.

Asked about the value of the contract, Maksić said that it will be made public after the commercial contract is signed. The contract is expected to be finalised by 30 November 2016 at the latest. “Before that the project concept for two sections, from Belgrade to Stara Pazova and from Novi Sad to Subotica, must be adopted and approved by the Republic Revision Commission.

“Speaking of financing”, he continued, “the Chinese Exim Bank has been named as a possible creditor, and within 15 days from signing the commercial contract the financier and investor would have to seek approval for credit for the project.”

On the question of when the track would be finished, he said that the construction period is 24 months from the issue of the permit. Maksić emphasized that the contract is especially important as it is about modernising track that forms part of the pan-European Corridor X, which is essential for Serbia.

Competition through Romania

Maksić noted that a bridge over the Dabnube between Romania and Bulgaria had already been built, forming a competing corridor.

“That corridor is however 240km longer to Turkey and 340km to Greece. This fact in particular confirms Corridor X and positions it as the most rational connection between central Europe and the south-east. This is why this contract also has perspectives for connecting two parts of Europe”, he concluded.

Translation provided by: www.halifax-translation.com