The Budapest–Belgrade railway connects the capital cities of Hungary and Serbia – the
Budapest Keleti railway station
Budapest is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the tenth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the river Danube. The estimated population of the city in 2025 ...
with the new
Belgrade Centre railway station.
As a $2.89 billion,
high-speed rail
High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...
line project, the Budapest–Belgrade railway is also a part, and first stage, of the planned
Budapest–Belgrade–Skopje–Athens railway
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, Fo ...
international connection in
Central and
Southeast Europe
Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe is a geographical sub-region of Europe, consisting primarily of the region of the Balkans, as well as adjacent regions and Archipelago, archipelagos. There are overlapping and conflicting definitions of t ...
, a
Chinese-CEE hallmark project of Beijing's
Belt and Road
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI or B&R), known in China as the One Belt One Road and sometimes referred to as the New Silk Road, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the government of China in 2013 to invest in more t ...
initiative, connecting the China-run
Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...
port in Greece with the heart of Europe.
History

The railway line between Budapest and Belgrade was used also by the
Orient Express
The ''Orient Express'' was a long-distance passenger luxury train service created in 1883 by the Belgian company ''Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits'' (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train traveled the length of continental Europe, w ...
until 1914. The Orient Express was launched on 5 June 1883. It connected
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
(later renamed
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
).
Route, geography and landscapes

The railway line between Budapest and Belgrade passes mainly the
Bács-Kiskun County
Bács-Kiskun (, ) is a county (''vármegye'' in Hungarian) located in southern Hungary. It was created by the merger of the pre-World War II Bács-Bodrog and the southern parts of Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun counties. With an area of 8,445 km2, ...
and the Serbian province of Vojvodina.
Track condition, modernization
The outdated railway between Belgrade and Budapest will be modernised. The travel time should be decreased from eight hours to three and a half hours, and the maximum speed of the track is designed to be up to on the Serbian section and on the Hungarian section.
[A Budapest-Belgrád vasútvonal korszerűsítése - alapkőletétel (Modernization of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line: Laying the foundation)](_blank)
mavcsoport.hu, 15 October 2021. When the project is complete, the journey between Budapest and Belgrade will be reduced to 2h 40min.
[Belgrade - Novi Sad line reopens following reconstruction](_blank)
railjournal, 29 March 2022.
According to the plans, the track should be modernised by 2025.
Modernization of 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
The Hungarian State Railways (, , formally MÁV Magyar Államvasutak Zártkörűen Működő Részvénytársaság (MÁV Zrt.). The full official name of the company is MÁV-csoport () now commonly known as MÁV) is the Hungarian national rail ...
Zrt. with
China Railway International Corporation
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
(CRIC) and
China Railway International Group (CRIG).
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 is due to be completed by 2025.
Modernization of the Serbian section
In Serbia some , one of the segments, the -long section Belgrade-
Stara Pazova
Stara Pazova (, ; ; ) is a small town located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 18,522, while Stara Pazova municipality has 62,318 inhabitants (2022 census). The entrance into town f ...
was reconstructed by
China Communications Construction Company
China Communications Construction Company, Ltd. (CCCC) is a Chinese majority state-owned, publicly traded, multinational engineering and construction company primarily engaged in the design, construction, and operation of infrastructure assets, ...
(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
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
was reconstructed by the Russian
RZD International, financed with Russian credit.
The reconstruction of the section Novi Sad–
Subotica
Subotica (, ; , , ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Central Europe and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Sub ...
began in 2022, with estimated cost of €943 million, built by CCCC and a duration of 33 months, during which this section will be closed.
The construction of the railway line in Serbia started in September 2017, when the construction of the Čortanovci tunnel began. The 75 km railway for speed up to 200 km/h between
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
and
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
opened on 19 March 2022 (this part was divided in two sections: as of 2018, the
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
–
Stara Pazova
Stara Pazova (, ; ; ) is a small town located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 18,522, while Stara Pazova municipality has 62,318 inhabitants (2022 census). The entrance into town f ...
34.5 km section was planned to be finished in the end of 2020 and the
Stara Pazova
Stara Pazova (, ; ; ) is a small town located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 18,522, while Stara Pazova municipality has 62,318 inhabitants (2022 census). The entrance into town f ...
–
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
40.4 km section in November 2021).
The construction of the 107.4 km section between Novi Sad and Subotica (Hungarian border) was started on 7 April 2022 and it was due to be completed by the end of November 2024,
but the opening was delayed following the
train station canopy collapse in Novi Sad and ensuing
countrywide protests.
Bids of the Hungarian section
Only two consortia bid for the work. The winning consortium was announced June 2019. As with most public works since 2015 the government linked Hungarian entrepreneur,
Lőrinc Mészáros
Lőrinc Mészáros (born 24 February 1966) is a Hungarian businessman and former politician who served as mayor of the Hungarian village Felcsút between 2011 and 2018. With an estimated wealth of 1.241 trillion forints ($3.2 billion) as of D ...
won, with his company “RM International Zrt”, along with two Chinese companies: China Tiejiuju Engineering & Construction LLC., and China Railway Electrification Engineering Group(Hungary) Ltd.
Criticism
Although the section between Budapest and Belgrade will allow a four hours reduction in travel time, a further travel to the port of
Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...
was, as of 2017, still 2 to 4 days away by train from Belgrade.
While the Hungarian government classified its analysis for the economic viability of the project for 10 years, estimates in the non-government-owned media estimate the return around 130 to 2400 years based on the current and expected traffic on the line.
Furthermore, the project was criticized for a lack of transparency as the Hungarian government forbade the publication of the contract for the next 10 years. This has raised concerns about potential
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...
of the most expensive project in the history of
Hungarian railways
The Hungarian State Railways (, , formally MÁV Magyar Államvasutak Zártkörűen Működő Részvénytársaság (MÁV Zrt.). The full official name of the company is MÁV-csoport () now commonly known as MÁV) is the Hungarian national rail ...
. Additionally, the project is viewed by some independent media as a part of the Hungarian and Serbian governments' reorientation away from the
EU towards
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, with this large non-transparent investment potentially being a way to leverage Chinese influence in these countries.
See also
*
Budapest–Belgrade–Skopje–Athens railway
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, Fo ...
*
Trans-European Transport Networks
The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) is a planned network of roads, railways, airports and water infrastructure in the European Union. The TEN-T network is part of a wider system of Trans-European Networks (TENs), including a telecommun ...
(
TEN-T
The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) is a planned network of roads, railways, airports and water infrastructure in the European Union. The TEN-T network is part of a wider system of Trans-European Networks (TENs), including a telecommun ...
):
Pan-European Corridor X
The Corridor X is one of the pan-European corridors. It runs between Salzburg in Austria and Thessaloniki in Greece. The corridor passes through Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Greece. It has four branches: Xa, Xb, ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Budapest-Belgrade Railway
International railway lines
Railway lines in Hungary
Railway lines in Serbia
Cross-border railway lines in Hungary
Cross-border railway lines in Serbia
Proposed transport infrastructure in Hungary
Proposed transport infrastructure in Serbia