Serbia has project for reconstruction of rail section from Belgrade to Sid – Waiting for Croatia’s response

Serbia has the project for the reconstruction of the Belgrade-Sid railroad section, but Croatia needs to say whether it is interested in that project, said the minister of construction, transport and infrastructure, Goran Vesic. Vesic, who talked to the European coordinator for the Western Balkans - Eastern Mediterranean European Transport Corridor, Marian-Jean Marinescu, added that Italy was also interested in continuing the fast railroad from Venice to Ljubljana, the competent ministry announced.

When it comes to rail connections, Vesic said that the fast railroad to Subotica would open to traffic on November 24, and that Serbia would therefore be well connected with Hungary. He added that Hungary would complete its section of the railroad, from the border to Budapest, by the end of the following year.

He pointed out that, in 2025, the works on individual sections of the new Belgrade-Nis fast railroad, 230 kilometers, for a speed of 200 kilometers per hour, would begin and that the work on the section from Nis to Brestovac would be completed. Vesic added that 135 kilometers of that railroad through Serbia and another 50 kilometers through North Macedonia remained, so that Skopje would also get a fast rail connection.

For that purpose, Serbia and North Macedonia are seeking EU funds together.

Vesic said Greece was also preparing the project of a fast railroad from Thessaloniki to the Macedonian border and reconstructing the railroad from Thessaloniki to Athens. After that, the rail section from Skopje to the Greek border should be built, so that a total of 1,521 kilometers of the fast railroad from Budapest to Athens would be completed.

He said that Serbia and Montenegro would jointly seek funds with the EC for the reconstruction of the Belgrade-Bar railroad and that, with the recent approval of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and B&H would enter the joint project of the reconstruction of the Belgrade-Sarajevo railroad.

When it comes to connecting with Romania, Vesic said that the project for the reconstruction of the railroad to Vrsac and the Romanian border was being prepared and that, at the president’s request, the Banat railroad, from Pancevo to Subotica, would be renewed, with an expansion of around 30 kilometers, toward Kikinda and the Romanian border.

He also said that, in the direction toward Bulgaria, the reconstruction of the Nis-Dimitrovgrad railroad was in progress and that a railroad which would connect two ports, Prahovo and Vidin, was being considered, which would be discussed with Bulgarian partners.

He added that there was an idea, presented at the recent meeting with the Turkish transport minister, to build a fast railroad from Nis to the Bulgarian border, which would go toward Sofia and farther toward the Turkish border and then to Istanbul.

Ministarstvo građevinarstva, saobraćaja i infrastrukture Republike Srbije

Ministry of Construction Transport and Infrastructure

Goran Vesic

Marian Jean Marinescu

rail transport

Belgrade Sid railroad

railroad to Hungary

Belgrade Nis railroad

railroad to Skopje

Belgrade Bar railroad

Nis Dimitrovgrad railroad

project for reconstruction of railroads to Vrsac