The Budapest–Belgrade–Skopje–Athens railway, a China-CEE hallmark project (2014) 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,
Another Silk Road fiasco? China's Belgrade to Budapest high-speed rail line is probed by Brussels
', by Wade Shepard,

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

February 25, 2017 is a planned

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

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 ...

– between

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

(Hungary),

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 ...

(Serbia),

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

(

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

and its China-run 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 ...

(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 Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

and Athens is with upgrades to ongoing. 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 Gilles Savary (born 6 December 1954 in Oradour-sur-Vayres, Haute-Vienne) is a French politician who served as Member of the European Parliament for the Île-de-France. Early life and education Savary holds a master's degree in economics (1975) ...

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

, Brussels, October 2013 the planners included their considerations of the ''

Balkan route The 2015 European migrant crisis was a period of significantly increased movement of refugees and migrants into Europe, mostly from the Middle East. An estimated 1.3 million people came to the continent to request asylum, the most in a single ...

'', which follows Pan-European Corridor X through

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

and

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

(

–

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

–

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

–

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

) and shortens the present

–

route via

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

and

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

by . The total length is around compared to for the current southern

–

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,

’s accession to the European Union in July 2013 and discussions with the publics of the former

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

in connection with the review of TEN–T policy present a useful opportunity to develop rail links between south–east and

central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

via the

western Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

."''

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 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 (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.

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 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 ...

(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, but the opening was delayed following the train station canopy collapse in Novi Sad and ensuing countrywide protests.

Novi Sad - Belgrade

In Serbia, the -long 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 ...

section 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 ...

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 The ''International Railway Journal'' (''IRJ'') is a monthly international trade magazine published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing in Falmouth, England. History Founded by Robert Lewis and '' Railway Age'' editor Luther Miller as the world's ...

, 29 March 2022.

Belgrade - Niš

The Belgrade - Niš railway is following the direction of the central part of the

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, ...

. 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 Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...

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 The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the 27 member states. It is the largest multilateral financial institution in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt sol ...

(EIB) and €550 million from the

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, shortened to EBRD ( French: ''Banque européenne pour la reconstruction et le développement'' or ''BERD''), is an international financial institution founded in 1991 in Paris. As a multilat ...

(EBRD)."Green X factor in Serbia"
9 March 2023,

. 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".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Budapest-Belgrade-Skopje-Athens railway International railway lines Rail transport in North Macedonia Rail infrastructure in Greece Rail infrastructure in Hungary Rail infrastructure in Serbia Proposed transport infrastructure in Greece Proposed transport infrastructure in Hungary Proposed transport infrastructure in Serbia High-speed trains