[REVISION HISTORY]

Budapest‑Belgrade high‑speed rail opening timeline

Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-07 06:56 UTC → 2026-08-07 07:53 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In mid‑July 2026 Hungarian officials said trial runs could begin in early August and passenger service might start in September, pending software fixes from the Chinese contractor. By late July the Serbian rail director announced the line was ready for service in about two months, and on 3 August Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut confirmed a 79‑minute Belgrade‑Subotica service using the new “Soko” train, with nine additional trainsets slated for Expo 2027 and an aim to reach Budapest within three hours. On 5 August Serbia’s Infrastructure of Serbian Railways launched an international design‑build tender to rebuild a 65 km Paraćin‑Međurovo segment of the Belgrade‑Niš high‑speed corridor. The contract, financed by the European Investment Bank and a World Bank grant, covers electrification, signaling, station upgrades and targets 200 km/h operation. Submissions are due by 2 October 2026, with a 48‑month execution period. On 6 August Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Aleksandra Sofronijević announced that the Belgrade‑Budapest high‑speed line will open to passenger traffic in the autumn, once safety, regulatory and technical conditions are satisfied. A simulated run covering the full route and border‑customs procedures is planned after 24 August, while testing of the Budapest‑Kelebia section supplied by the Chinese contractor is expected to finish within two weeks. Freight services are already operating, and both countries are finalising the passenger timetable. ~~These steps keep the Budapest‑Belgrade high‑speed link on track for a late‑summer/autumn opening while expanding Serbia’s wider high‑speed network toward Niš~~ On 5 August Hungarian Transport and ~~further connections to~~ Investment Minister Dávid Vitézy joined Sofronijević in confirming that passenger trains could start later this autumn, provided final safety tests on the ~~Western Balkans~~ Hungarian side are successful. ETCS Level 2 signalling is being finalised, allowing speeds up to 160 km/h, and ~~Central Europe.~~ the Chinese supplier has confirmed the equipment is ready; large‑scale testing on the Budapest‑Kelebia segment is expected to conclude within two weeks.

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