Tragedy at Novi Sad railway station linked to Hungarian-owned firm, reports Serbian media

A tragic incident at Novi Sad’s (Újvidék) recently renovated railway station, where a glass terrace collapsed on Friday, resulting in fourteen fatalities and multiple severe injuries, has raised questions about the companies overseeing the project. Serbian media reports, citing information from local procurement platforms, link the station’s reconstruction to Project Bureau Utiber, a company owned by Hungarian interests. While the official statement from Serbian Railways noted that only the station’s facade and interior were refurbished, with no mention of the terrace structure, local news sources suggest that Utiber had a role in supervising the station’s renovation.

Hungarian construction firm Utiber Közúti Beruházó Ltd., whose projects frequently involve subcontracting work for Lőrinc Mészáros’s companies, owns the majority of Project Bureau Utiber, Szabad Magyar Szó reports. Founded in 2014, the Novi Sad-based subsidiary has grown substantially, with revenues skyrocketing to seventeen times their initial levels and net profits increasing nearly ninetyfold over the last decade. Currently, it employs 63 people and is primarily owned by Utiber Közúti Beruházó, with 85% Hungarian ownership, while 15% belongs to Miodrag Jović, a Serbian citizen and managing director.

Photo: MTI/AP/Szerb belügyminisztérium

Beyond the railway station project, Utiber has secured numerous state contracts in Serbia, including for railway upgrades and construction supervision on the National Stadium, totalling contracts worth over EUR 23 million. In the Novi Sad railway project, Utiber holds the leading supervisory position among several bidders on the Hungarian border railway line, underscoring their dominance in this infrastructure project.

The company’s Hungarian owners, György Lakits and László Almássy, have made headlines in Hungary as well, especially with Utiber’s involvement in national motorway concessions, 24.hu writes. In 2022, the Hungarian government awarded a 35-year highway concession to a consortium linked to business mogul Lőrinc Mészáros, whose close ties with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán are well-documented. Utiber, often working as a subcontractor to Mészáros’s firms, has benefitted significantly from state contracts and European Union funding, which contributed to its rapid expansion and profitability.

In response to these connections, the Hungarian news outlet Telex contacted Utiber for comments on their specific responsibilities in the Novi Sad project but has yet to receive a reply.

With extensive involvement in both the Serbian railway project and the National Stadium’s construction, Utiber’s presence in Serbia exemplifies the close economic cooperation between the two nations. These connections have not only facilitated lucrative state-backed contracts but have also fueled the expansion of Hungarian firms within Serbia’s infrastructure and construction sectors.

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• Hungarian speaker sends condolences to Serbia over tragic Novi Sad railway station collapse