Regular train services come between Hungary and Serbia

Regular train services will be introduced between Subotica and Szeged, border crossings will remain open longer and a common electronic toll system will be introduced.

Connecting Serbia and Hungary

Hungarian and Serbian ministers signed an agreement in Belgrade for cooperation on the electronic toll system, alongside discussions about the schedule for the railway line connecting Subotica and Szeged.

“Hungary sees Serbia as a strategic ally, and an important objective of this strategic cooperation is to make Hungary Serbia’s western corridor”, said János Lázár in Belgrade. The Hungarian Minister of Construction and Transport added that the border crossing between Horgos and Röszke handles the most traffic at the external Schengen borders.

The railway service between Szeged and Szabad will start in the first days of December at the latest, economx.hu reports. Initially, the journey will take 80 minutes, later reduced to 60 minutes, with services running every three hours.

The Hungarian government may acquire real estate

The government is preparing to amend a decree regarding the development of the railway line between Budapest and Belgrade.

The railway construction, deemed a priority investment for the national economy, might face opposition. According to Népszava, the annex listing the real estate affected by the project will be extended.

The list covers more than a thousand properties. Almost half of the land to be expropriated is located in Budapest, in the IX, XX and mostly in the XXIII districts. In addition, the annex includes land in and around Dömsöd, Kiskőrös, Kiskunhalas and Taksony.

According to the newspaper, the property owners concerned by the expropriation procedure cannot anticipate favourable outcomes.. For instance, the municipality of Kelebia received a total of HUF 1.316 million (EUR 3,493.61) for 3,000 square metres of forest, or HUF 440 (EUR 1.17) per square metre.