Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic (2nd L) visits the construction site of the Serbian section of the Belgrade-Budapest railway line in Vrbas of Vojvodina province, Serbia, Dec. 21, 2023. (Serbia's presidential office/Handout via Xinhua)
BELGRADE, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Serbian section of the Belgrade-Budapest railway line, constructed by a consortium of two Chinese companies, is set to commence operations by the end of 2024, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday.
Vucic made the remarks during his visit to the construction site in Serbia's northern Vojvodina province, accompanied by Serbian state and provincial officials and China's Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming.
Vucic said he was satisfied with the progress of the construction of the Novi Sad-Subotica railway section. He thanked the Chinese companies for their efforts to complete the project ahead of schedule.
The consortium was composed of China Railway International (CRI) and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC).
"This is a significant change for the Serbian people and the entire country, as travel time between Belgrade and Subotica will be reduced to just 75 minutes," Vucic said, expecting the enhancement to attract more tourists.
In March 2022, Chinese and Russian companies completed a revamp of the 75-km high-speed railway section between Belgrade and Novi Sad, Serbia's second largest city.
The planned completion of the 108-km railway line between Novi Sad and Subotica, construction of which began in autumn 2021, represents a crucial milestone for the entire Serbian segment of the international railway, and holds significance for the Belt and Road Initiative in Central and Eastern Europe.
Vucic projected that, with the Hungarian part of the railway also completed by 2026, travel time between the capitals of Serbia and Hungary will be reduced to less than three hours. ■
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic (front) speaks during a visit to the construction site of the Serbian section of the Belgrade-Budapest railway line in Vrbas of Vojvodina province, Serbia, Dec. 21, 2023. (Serbia's presidential office/Handout via Xinhua)
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic speaks during a visit to the construction site of the Serbian section of the Belgrade-Budapest railway line in Vrbas of Vojvodina province, Serbia, Dec. 21, 2023. (Serbia's presidential office/Handout via Xinhua)