The reconstruction of the railway from Belgrade to the border with Northern Macedonia, with the support of the EU, is great news for Serbia. With the expectation that the railway will be renewed all the way to Thessaloniki, the revitalization of the railway Corridor 10 would mean that Serbia becomes a transport hub – the closest, fastest natural connection to the heart of Europe.
This is how Professor Slobodan Acimovic sees the news from Brussels, who teaches a group of subjects dealing with logistics, traffic and infrastructure at the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade.
Immediately after the conversation with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wrote on her Twitter account, among other things, that they talked about the renewal of the railway from Belgrade to Northern Macedonia, which the EU is ready to support. Thus, she removed the question of which is one of the largest infrastructure projects that will completely change Serbia if there is an agreement with the EU, which was announced by the President of Serbia the day before the talks.
Serbia is becoming a transport hub
Any investment in infrastructure for Serbia is excellent and it is completely irrelevant whether it is a Chinese or European investment, says Acimovic. Noting that at this moment there is little information about this large infrastructure project, he still believes that the reconstruction of that railway should be classified as the most modern.
“That railway should be a high-speed railway. It should not be just the revitalization of the existing railway, but simply the construction of a high-speed railway, like what we are already doing on the Belgrade-Budapest stretch. It would then probably continue through Northern Macedonia and I guess it would reach Thessaloniki, and then in I don’t know how many years we would have a great end to the Silk Road that enters by rail,” said our interlocutor.
From Thessaloniki by fast train to the heart of Europe
He believes that using the good Chinese idea, the EU made a great move, but he also says that he is happy that Serbia is now, after investing in roads, moving towards new investments in the railway.
“Railways are an ideal type of transport when you need to transport large quantities of goods that should go from the port of Thessaloniki, when we have long distances, and practically enter the heart of Europe through Northern Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary,” said this traffic and infrastructure expert.
He notes that this corridor will be especially important for the transport of goods, and that Serbia will thus take on the importance of a transport hub, which, as he says, it naturally is. He reminded that during the years of sanctions, wars, and the problems that Serbia was facing, the European Corridor 4 was created as a kind of parallel to the railway Corridor 10.
The natural path of goods and people
“That railway Corridor 4 goes through Romania, Bulgaria and also ends in Greece, in Thessaloniki. However, he has one big problem, which is 300 kilometers longer. In other words, if the EU decides to strengthen this shorter Corridor 10, then that Corridor 4 somehow falls out of the EU’s priorities and then we have the opportunity for goods to go the natural way it always went from Turkey and Asia, across the Balkans, to Europe. Corridor 10, which goes from Greece, through Macedonia, Serbia, and further to Budapest, is simply the most expedient route for goods and passengers,” Acimovic is unequivocal.
When asked to what extent it will contribute to raising the economy of that part of Serbia through which the high-speed railway will pass, he said that it is not possible to talk about it precisely now. For such an assessment, serious research would have to be done, as was done when it came to the road Corridor 10, but for the railway, it has not been done yet.
Lower transportation costs
What is certain, however, he says, is that it will bring benefits.
“Certainly those are lower costs for the economy. Rail is a cheaper mode of transport than road. In addition to lower transportation costs for the economy, travel is faster and, most importantly, travel is more comfortable for citizens,” Acimovic points out.
After talks with EU officials, Vucic expressed the expectation that an agreement will be signed with officials from Brussels soon, according to which the EU grant will amount to between 600 and 700 million euros, ie between 35 and 50 percent of the value of the investment.
According to Vucic, Serbia will be a hundred percent different country with that fast railway because it will create many opportunities and chances, but it will also mean much better transport for those who travel from Munich, Vienna to Serbia, both to Sofia and Istanbul, and towards Skopje and further towards Greece.
As he specified, the fast railway would go from Belgrade through Nis, Vranje, Tabanovac, to the border with Northern Macedonia, Sputnik News reports.
