BELGRADE, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The first of two Chinese-made tunnel boring machines (TBMs) for Belgrade's first metro line arrived at the Port of Pancevo on Thursday, marking a major milestone in preparations for underground construction.
The 108-meter-long machine, weighing approximately 1,800 tonnes, was manufactured by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province.
Its main section was shipped from China by sea and transported along the Danube River, while other components were delivered by truck from the Romanian port of Constanta, according to Belgrade Metro and Train, the state-owned company overseeing the project.
The machine will be transported to the site of the planned Bele Vode station in southwestern Belgrade for assembly and technical preparations. The second TBM is also en route to Serbia.
The two machines will start tunneling from opposite ends of the first section of Line 1, advancing towards each other to excavate approximately 11 km of tunnels. The first TBM is expected to begin operation in late summer 2027.
Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina) is responsible for the project's civil engineering works, while French company Alstom will supply trains and install metro systems.
The first phase of Line 1 will span approximately 15.4 km, comprising at-grade, cut-and-cover and tunnel sections, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2031.
Belgrade's metro network plan will consist of three lines spanning approximately 70 km, making it one of Serbia's largest infrastructure projects. ■