NEWS FLASH
The construction of a rail link connecting Belgrade’s central railway station with the airport is progressing on schedule and is expected to be completed by the end of next year. Work has commenced at the site of the future airport train station, located approximately 500 metres from the terminal building, as well as on the viaducts that will overpass the nearby highway. So far, construction is taking place of the first five of the planned 18.3 kilometres of track.
Trains on the new line will operate every thirty minutes, with increased frequency, up to every fifteen minutes, during peak hours. They will run at speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour. The double-tack, electrified railway will serve the following stations: Prokop (Central) - New Belgrade - Tošin Bunar - Zemun - Altina - Zemun Polje - Singidunum - Belgrade Airport - Surčin - National Stadium.
“Work is being carried out in line with the defined dynamic plan. Construction is currently underway on the rail route itself, various engineering structures and the foundations for the catenary system poles”, the Acting Assistant Minister in the Department for Railways and Intermodal Transport, Milan Petrović, said. He added, “All of this is based on a comprehensive traffic study that aimed to answer numerous key questions, most importantly, how the anticipated influx of visitors during Expo 2027 will impact overall traffic. The study also took into account the period after the Expo, and the transport system and infrastructure were designed accordingly".
Probably the most useful project to come out of this expo thing.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, let's hope that train frequency will be reasonable after expo ends.
DeleteIt would be really useful if the train to the airport was taking us to the airport building instead of half a kilometer away.
DeleteYou will manage to walk 500 metres like you walk at other airports around the world. If they built an undergoround station you would be having a meltdown over the cost and your taxpayers money.
DeleteAnd let’s see if the ordered chinese commuter trains arrive in time and will get an accreditation. Chinese SOKO was in Velim for tests and since then no further news. Westbahn and CzechRegioJet had their issues with CRRC trains. Okay, for local use in Belgrade they wouldn’t need EU accreditation but would someone be brave enough to put them into operation without it?
Delete^ it is a national sport to endlessly complain. No matter what it is.
Delete@15.19 the train track isn't opening until 2027. Are you for real?
Delete@An 15:20: yes, CRRC Doubledecker for Westbahn are in accreditation procedure since at least May 2022 and not yet operational. If it‘s EU protecting its market or chinese who doesn’t fulfill criteria or both, I don’t know. Commuters for Belgrade will be a different model and afaIk not used in Europe before, which means they need a separate accreditation if they want to enter EU, if they just run their lifespan on serbian tracks it’s up to local regulator to approve them or not. CRRC Soko they‘ve sent to Velim for EU approval as this train is foreseen to go to Budapest.
DeleteWhy on earth would a train that will operate purely on a suburban railway line need to have EU accreditation? Where did you even get the idea?
DeleteAuthorities in SRB sometimes prefer other, even foreign institutions or specialized companies to do the checks for them. Novi Sad - Subotica and before Belgrade - Novi Sad tracks were checked by DB Systemtechnik. Zkušební centrum Velim is doing approvals of trains for manufacturers from different countries. Off course Serbia could skip that for commuters and trust the chinese manufacturers. But then they couldn’t use this rolling stock for example on the Subotica - Szeged commuter line. And: if there would be some issue with the train it would all fall back to serbian authorities. It‘s always easier to point at someone else if something doesn’t work properly.
DeleteOn Gov-Website it‘s stated that these 9 trains will be build according to EU standards. Someone usually has to check this if it‘s the first of its kind delivered to Europe.
Deletehttps://www.srbija.gov.rs/vest/en/222550/protocol-on-procurement-of-nine-chinese-electric-trains-signed.php
500m away? That really isn’t fun walking, especially with luggage. Or in Serbia’s summer heat. No thanks.
Delete^ great. You can use one of several complimentary buses to the city that stop right in front of the terminal building, so you don't have to walk an inch. Enjoy.
DeleteChina made? Or are they local contractors?
ReplyDeleteIt is still beyond my comprehension why Soko was not routed Subotica-Novi Sad- BEG- Prokop…
ReplyDeleteI guess it's more expensive this way?
(and who am I to have an opinion or compare how it's done across…at least Europe)
Definitely more expensive, current route requires practically 0 construction in built up areas. I see no obvious route which will not require a lot of tunnels or demolishing.
DeleteLet's hope one day they will build new terminal in place of cargo terminal, so that railway link will be closer. Or they can just expand C gates forever...
ReplyDelete+1000
DeleteBravo, samo napred.
ReplyDeleteThis is so close to airport, yet when it comes to accessibility it's going to be some 20-30min walk, I think?
ReplyDeleteIt is likely they will make a walkway to the station or the bus that drives to the remote parking will also pick up passengers going to the train station.
DeletePlane-bus-train-bus(or cab) and you're in Belgrade. Pity there are no boats too. This is anything but integrated.
DeleteSorry I don’t get the complaining about the distance. I used the new metro from Istanbul Airport just last week. It takes a good 20 minutes to get from the terminal (arrivals hall) to the underground train station (which is not part of the terminal). The signage is also very poor. It took 40 minutes for the train to arrive, and the train does not even go near to the city centre. At least there is a sign saying when the next train will arrive.
DeleteI was also in Athens last week. The train station is some 10 minutes’ walk from the arrivals hall. I waited 30 minutes for the train to arrive. It took almost an hour for the train to get to Syntagma (main square in Athens). On the way back, after 40 minute wait, it took 1 hour 30 minutes as the train, for some reason, was going very slow and in some sections was at a complete standstill. I took this train at 9.30am last Friday (presumably peak time) when it was already 34C. There was no air conditioning in the train with all the small windows open creating a ‘beautiful’ scorching breeze, although we would probably suffocate if they were closed. Not to mention that the signage at the train station at Athens Airport is also very poor and almost none of the passengers knew which train they should catch, since there is another suburban rail line also passing through the station. There is also no information whatsoever when the next train will arrive. Might I add that the frequency of this train is also completely incomprehensible considering many people take the train at Athens airport since the taxi one-way costs over 70 euros (uber is 50 euros in nonpeak times) and takes an hour to get to the city. Of course, the train was packed in both directions.
I don’t hear anyone complaining about those. The geography of some areas is such that you can’t build an underground train station, or if you did, it would cost millions and would take years to complete.
@anon at 14.58 would like to step off the plane, into an airbridge and for the train to be waiting for him at the end of the bridge.
DeleteThat are building from scratch, do there's probably absolutely no valid reason not to have train station next to, or below the airport... Zürich, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Frankfurt..
DeleteI guess that Tesla parking shuttle buses will have a stop near new train station building.
Delete@15.05 how many years would you expect it to take to build the train station under the airport? I can tell you right now it would take at least 5.
DeleteNot only would it take long it would cost millions and millions of euros.
DeleteIt;s 500 metres people. Get a grip!
DeleteAnon@15:08 Yes, it is only 500 meters, but this is 500 meters forever. Government could spend extra one time, and save 5-10 minutes of walking for millions of people until the end of time.
DeleteNo, 500 metres of walking does not justify 100s of millions of euros spent on an underground station and years and years of construction work. They didn't think so either at many other airprots across Europe.
Delete500 metres is nothing transport-wise, you walk more when you exit the metro at the Vienna Central station and want to catch a train. Yet both are named Wien Hauptbahnhof
DeleteAm I wrong to assume that the location of the station sits right in the middle of what could have been reserved space for a potential second runway?
ReplyDeleteNo
DeleteTo Prokop?
ReplyDeleteGood luck with that.
A nekib su do pre samo godinu dana pisali da je to nečija fantazmogorija, kad, ono, međutim...
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteIt is more than okay that the tracks are 500 metres afar for minimising costs, but then at least the halt should be arranged as close as possible to the terminal. As seen on the pictures, the access tunnel to the platforms is not placed directly at the road turn near the cargo terminal but already 100 metres down the Surčin access road... Ćaci engineering
ReplyDeleteYou literally have no project blueprint in front of you and have no idea where anything will be but you have already given us your expert matter of fact opinion.
Delete