Hungary aims to strengthen its role as an economic meeting point, so that Eastern and Western capital and high tech can be linked here.Continue reading
Passenger traffic between Subotica (Szabadka) and Belgrade on the entire Serbian section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line could start on November 25, Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Goran Vesić told Belgrade’s Pink television on Monday.
According to the politician, the rails are currently being tested between Novi Sad (Újvidék) and Subotica. The section between Novi Sad and Belgrade has been in operation since March 2022.
The train will cover the 184-kilometer section between Subotica and Belgrade in 70 minutes. Departures are between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. in both directions.
Goran Vesić recalled that no new railway line had been built in Serbia since 1976, and only 31 kilometers had been renewed by 2012. Between 2012 and 2023, 108 kilometers of new railway lines were built and some 843 kilometers were renewed.
Construction work on the Hungarian section of the railway line. Photo: Facebook/Lázár János
The Hungarian section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line will be completed in 2026 and will be opened to traffic in that year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stressed in an interview with Chinese state-owned CGTN (China Global Television Network). In response to a question from the reporter, he said that he was absolutely sure that the line would start operating in 2026.
The foundation stone for the reconstruction was laid in October 2021.
The project is worth around EUR 1.7 billion. 85 percent of the investment is financed by a fixed-rate loan from China (from the Export-Import Bank of China),
and the remaining 15 percent by the Hungarian state from its own resources. After construction, the distance between the Serbian and Hungarian capitals will be covered in 2 hours 40 minutes.
Via MTI; Featured image via Facebook/Lázár János