Passenger service on Budapest–Belgrade high-speed rail line not to start despite previous government promises

Testing and certification of the upgraded Budapest-Belgrade rail line for passenger service is underway, but expected to take “several more weeks”, the Construction and Transportation Ministry said on Monday.

Testing of the European Train Control System (ETCS) on the stretch and TUV certification for passenger service are “progressing steadily”, the ministry said.

The first round of testing on the ETCS has been completed and the Chinese contractor has committed to delivering the upgraded software by April 7, while the TUV inspection is being extended to project elements already reported as completed, reducing the time required for the process, it added.

“There is no political target date for the start of passenger service on the Budapest-Belgrade line. The timing for the launch depends solely on transportation safety experts,” the ministry said.

Freight trains started operating on the line, which is part of a corridor for Chinese goods bound for Europe, on February 27.

Previous plans called for launching passenger services in mid-March, before the elections. It seems the contractors were unable to obtain all the necessary permissions to do so.

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