The first freight train on the Budapest-Belgrade Railway departed from the Ferencvaros Station in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, marking the beginning of freight transport along the rail’s Hungarian section. The train is headed for Kelebia, a village on the Hungary-Serbia border, via several important stations, such as Soroksar Station and Taksony Station.
A view of Taksony Station. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The Hungarian section, spanning approximately 158.6 km, is an electrified line designed for both passenger and freight transport, with a maximum speed of 160 km per hour. Its construction, jointly undertaken by China Railway Group Limited and local Hungarian firms, started in 2022.
The original Budapest-Belgrade Railway, built in the late 1800s, was a single-track railway that had degenerated after more than a century of service, thus enfeebling the transport capacity and obstructing land transport between China and Europe. While building the Hungarian section, the project team overcame challenges in languages, laws and technical standards and successfully aligned Chinese rail technologies and equipment with the European Union’s Technical Specifications for Interoperability for railways.
A freight train arrives at Soroksar Station. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The Budapest-Belgrade Railway is a landmark project under Belt and Road cooperation and a flagship project under the cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries. Once the entire line is in full service, the travel time between Budapest and Belgrade will be reduced to about 3.5 hours from 8 hours, thus facilitating transportation within Central and Eastern Europe and enhancing the connectivity between Hungary and its neighboring countries. The railway will also offer more convenient transportation to local residents and boost economic and social development.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
