The Budapest–Belgrade–Skopje–Athens railway, a China-CEE hallmark project (2014) of Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative,Another Silk Road fiasco? China's Belgrade to Budapest high-speed rail line is probed by Brussels, by Wade Shepard, Forbes February 25, 2017 is a planned railway international connection in Central and Southeast Europe – between Budapest (Hungary), Belgrade (Serbia), Skopje (North Macedonia), Athens and its China-run port of Piraeus (Greece). Planned speed is up to depending on the sections: on the Hungarian section between Budapest and Serbia,A Budapest-Belgrád vasútvonal korszerűsítése - alapkőletétel (Modernization of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line: Laying the foundation), mavcsoport.hu, 15 October 2021. between the Hungarian border and Belgrade and on most of the Belgrade-Niš section,Loan signed for Serbia's railway sector modernization project, railway supply, 14 May 2021. while the current line between Thessaloniki and Athens is with upgrades to ongoing.China To Finance Construction Of New Budapest-Belgrade Railroad, Hungary Today, December 17, 2014 The Chinese planners do not comment on the other tracks' realizable speeds. Originally, they spoke of up to throughout.
The first section, the Budapest–Belgrade railway – a $2.89 billion, high-speed rail line – should have been finished in two years, but is lagging behind due to an EU investigation into possible violations of its public tendering requirements.
EU planning In a 2012/13 EC report, Priority Project 22: Railway axis Athens–Sofia–Budapest–Vienna–Prague–Nuremberg/Dresden (PP22),Priority Project 22: Railway axis Athens–Sofia–Budapest–Vienna–Prague–Nuremberg/Dresden, Annual Report of the Coordinator, Gilles Savary, European Commission, Brussels, October 2013 the planners included their considerations of the Balkan route, which follows Pan-European Corridor X through Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia and Greece (Thessaloniki–Skopje–Belgrade–Budapest/Zagreb–Ljubljana–Graz/Salzburg) and shortens the present Athens–Budapest route via Bulgaria and Romania by . The total length is around compared to for the current southern Athens–Budapest part of PP22. Moreover, there were also a number of technical advantages of this proposed part of the Balkan route: 89% of it was electrified, as against 75% of the present PP22 route and the tracks were designed for higher maximum speeds overall. Nevertheless 64% of the planned line was still single track, compared to 54% of the present part of the PP22 route.
The planners appeal to the politicians: "In the medium term it may become necessary to tailor priorities in line with what is feasible, both for the European Union, the main provider of funding, and the Member States concerned. In this respect, Croatia’s accession to the European Union in July 2013 and discussions with the [r]epublics of the former Yugoslavia in connection with the review of TEN–T policy present a useful opportunity to develop rail links between south–east and central Europe via the western Balkans."
Hungarian section (modernization)
The maximum speed of the track is designed to be up to on the Hungarian section.
The Hungarian section () of the project was announced in 2015 to cost HUF 472 billion and expected to be completed as of 2017–2018. Currently it is expected to cost HUF 949 billion ($3.6 billion) with interest.
In Hungary, the project is carried out by Kínai-Magyar Vasúti Nonprofit Zrt (Chinese-Hungarian Railway Nonprofit Ltd.), a Hungarian-Chinese joint venture of MÁV Zrt. with China Railway International Corporation (CRIC) and China Railway International Group (CRIG).Chinese-Hungarian Railway Nonprofit Ltd.: Chinese-Hungarian Railway Non-Profit Private Limited Company, in Hungarian: Kínai-Magyar Vasúti Nonprofit Zrt.: Kínai-Magyar Vasúti Nonprofit Zártkörűen Működő Részvénytársaság, 10 November 2016, on the MÁV website mavcsoport.hu) According to one estimate, the works on this section could begin in 2021, as one year is needed for the public procurement procedures, and two years for the planning and negotiation phase. The investment is widely criticised as it will never recover its costs.
The construction of the Hungarian part of the railway, 152 km, was started in October 2021 and was completed in 2025, with cargo services starting in February of 2026, however as of October 2026, passenger services are yet to start, due to a delay in testing the ETCS 2 system.Hungary launched Belgrade – Budapest line construction, railwaypro.com, November 2021.
Serbian section (modernization)
The maximum speed of the track is designed to be up to on the Serbian section.
Subotica–Novi Sad
The reconstruction of the 108 km section between Novi Sad and Subotica (Hungarian border) was set to begin in 2019, with estimated cost of €943 million, built by CCCC and a duration of 33 months, requiring the closure of this section during the reconstruction time. It actually started on 7 April 2022 and is due to be completed for the end of 2024,Pruga od Novog Sada do Subotice menja geografiju - vijadukt kod Vrbasa biće dug 1.600 metara (The railway from Novi Sad to Subotica is changing its geography - the viaduct near Vrbas will be 1,600 meters long), 11 Apr 2022, SatTV. but the opening was delayed following the train station canopy collapse in Novi Sad and ensuing countrywide protests.
The section between Novi Sad and Subotica opened for passenger use on October 8, 2025. 9 daily departures now link Belgrade and Subotica (Via. Novi Sad) in 1 hour and 19 minutes at an operational speed of 200 km/h.
Novi Sad–Belgrade
In Serbia, the -long Belgrade-Stara Pazova section was reconstructed by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) together with China Railways International (CRI), with the investment of $350.1 million, funded with a loan from the Export-Import Bank of China. The section Stara Pazova-Novi Sad is being reconstructed by the Russian RZD International, financed with Russian credit. The section between Belgrade and Novi Sad was opened on 19 March 2022.Belgrade - Novi Sad line reopens following reconstruction, International Railway Journal, 29 March 2022.
Belgrade–Niš The Belgrade - Niš railway is following the direction of the central part of the Pan-European Corridor X. The reconstructed railway will be 228 km long."Contract on second tranche for construction of Belgrade-Nis high-speed railway signed", 30 March 2023, srbija.gov.rs. "Serbia obtains EU grant for Corridor X", 2 March 2023, railwaypro.com. Trains will be able to reach speeds of up to 200 km/h on about 56% of the railway. The work that will be organized in three stages (Belgrade – Velika Plana, Velika Plana – Paraćin and Paraćin – Niš rail sections) and is expected to be completed in 2029. The first section, Stalać – Đunis (part of Paraćin – Niš), is expected to be completed in 2026.
In July 2020, President Aleksandar Vučić announced that the Belgrade-Niš railway would be 204 km long and would be completed by the end of 2023, with speeds of up to 200 km/h (124 mph), bringing Belgrade and Niš within 1 hour and 20 minutes of each other. In March 2023, he stated that the line will connect Belgrade and Niš in 1 hour and 40 minutes instead of 6 hours and a half as of 2023 (almost as long as the 8 hours from when the initial railway was built, in 1884)."Serbia secures grant for Belgrade-Niš rail project", 1 March 2023, railway-technology.com.
On 10 May 2021, a loan agreement was signed in Belgrade for 102 million euros, co-financed by the French Development Agency and the World Bank at 51 million euros each, planned to be used for the complete modernization of the Belgrade-Niš railway. On 28 February 2023, a €2.2 billion financial package from the European Union was announced for the Belgrade-Niš railway, composed of up to €598 million in grants, as well as loans of €1.1 billion from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and €550 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)."Green X factor in Serbia", 9 March 2023, European Investment Bank. On 30 March 2023, the Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Goran Vesic, stated that the construction of the 228-kilometer high-speed Belgrade - Niš railway was "starting now".
See also Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T): Pan-European Corridor X. Budapest–Belgrade railway Balkan Express (train) (Istanbul – Sofia – Belgrade) Bosphorus Express (Istanbul – Bucharest) Friendship Express (Istanbul – Thessaloniki)
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