Students from the Faculty of Traffic in Belgrade have criticized the Belgrade-Subotica high-speed rail project, comparing it to buying a luxury sports car (“a Lamborghini”) while neglecting basic needs (“the house doesn’t even have a facade”). Their main concerns are:
- The rail line was initially planned for a speed of 160 km/h, which would have balanced cost and efficiency.
- Political decisions pushed the speed limit to 200 km/h, raising project costs by 40% unnecessarily.
- The higher speed saves only 3 minutes on the Belgrade-Novi Sad route and 8 minutes to Subotica but increases train costs from €6 million to €21 million each, plus 50% higher maintenance expenses.
- Serbia lacks the financial and human resources to maintain such infrastructure properly.
- The project compromises capacity since freight trains run slower (100-120 km/h), creating bottlenecks.
- Future projects, like the planned line to Niš, may follow this costly and unsustainable pattern.
A Commission of Inquiry confirmed serious indications of corruption and criticized Serbia’s decision to abandon an EU-backed €330 million plan for 160 km/h speeds in favor of a far costlier Chinese loan and contractors, which drove prices up significantly without functional justification.
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Experts point out that:
- The increase to 200 km/h is more political marketing than practical need.
- Chinese contractors, inexperienced with European railway standards, may cause long-term maintenance problems.
- Despite financial inefficiencies, the project has social benefits such as faster travel times, improved regional connectivity, reduced emissions, and enhanced access to labor markets.
- The 200 km/h speed reduces travel time by 15-20 minutes compared to 160 km/h, which is significant for competitiveness and integration with European corridors.
Overall, while the project has strategic value, it suffers from questionable cost-effectiveness, possible corruption, and sustainability challenges.
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