Hungary says passenger services on its section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line could begin in mid-February if a German TÜV audit gives the green light. Officials say the move could pave the way for the return of direct Budapest–Belgrade trains later this spring after a long closure. However, scrutiny remains high after the Novi Sad station collapse and concerns over ETCS compliance with Chinese-designed signalling systems.
Direct international passenger trains between Budapest and Belgrade have been suspended since 2019, when reconstruction began on the roughly 350 km international corridor. One of the region’s flagship rail modernisation projects and backed by significant Chinese investment, Hungary’s 160 km section of the line was alone priced at around HUF 800 billion (roughly €2.1 billion), largely financed via a China Exim Bank loan.
Six years later and several billions lighter, Hungary says its section of the route may now be able to open to passengers in mid-February 2026. However, that depends on the outcome of a foreign audit examining the technical, financial and safety conditions of the line. The review, commissioned by Hungary’s Ministry of Construction and Transport, follows heightened scrutiny of the project — particularly after the deadly Novi Sad station canopy collapse on 1 November 2024, which killed 16 people, triggering a major criminal investigation and nationwide protests.
With the Hungarian government closely tied to the project’s political fortunes — prime minister Viktor Orbán jointly inaugurated the Belgrade–Novi Sad section of the railway in Novi Sad alongside Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić two years before the disaster — Budapest has been keen to ensure there are no further setbacks on the high-profile line, especially amid safety concerns over the compatibility of Chinese-designed signalling systems with EU standards.
After the tragedy
“After the tragedy in Novi Sad, we commissioned an international inspection company to inspect the technical, financial and safety conditions on the Budapest–Belgrade railway line, independently of the Hungarian state, the Chinese and all other actors,” transport minister János Lázár told a parliamentary committee in early December.
The results are expected by the end of January, and if TÜV’s findings are positive, the government says it will be able to authorise passenger traffic on the Hungarian section from mid-February, marking a major step towards reopening the long-closed corridor. Serbian officials say this would allow the full route to be completed in April, or May at the latest, based on assurances from Hungary.
Hungarian bottleneck
But the Budapest–Belgrade project has progressed unevenly across the border. Serbia completed and opened its section earlier, with passenger trains now running at up to 200 km/h on the Belgrade–Novi Sad section, though services are currently not calling at the main Novi Sad station following the 2024 collapse. Hungary, however, has fallen behind on its section of the project. Works were slowed by the installation and integration of new signalling and safety systems, as well as stricter EU procurement and authorisation requirements that do not apply in Serbia.
The bottleneck is closely tied to Chinese involvement. Around 85% of the Hungarian section is financed via a loan from China Exim Bank, with Chinese contractors supplying major engineering solutions and railway systems. But the safety and signalling package originally planned for Hungary’s upgraded line was reported to lack EU operating licences and to fall short of ETCS requirements — a critical issue for an EU member state seeking authorisation for passenger operations.
Those concerns have spilled into domestic politics. Opposition MP Ákos Hadházy alleged that “traffic on the Chinese Super Railway in Kelebia will start without safety devices,” claiming trains would be restricted to 100 km/h — and just 40 km/h in fog. MÁV disputed that account, telling Telex that passenger trains on the Hungarian section “will be able to travel at 160 km/h even in fog,” adding that the line “will of course operate with central traffic control and appropriate safety devices.”
According to pro-government media sources, the compliance gap was ultimately addressed through a “hybrid” approach, combining Chinese and non-Chinese components to secure the necessary approvals, allowing passenger operation at speeds of up to 160 km/h on the Hungarian section.
Belgrade-Budapest on track for Spring opening
Despite the setbacks, technical readiness has advanced in recent months in Hungary. Having overseen the renewal of more than 150 km of railway, extensive civil works and the installation of over 1,300 overhead line support columns, the section leading into Budapest is now electrified, with voltage switched on. Test operations began in December, with locomotives already running on the newly rebuilt track.
Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Aleksandra Sofronijević has thrown some cold water on the February relaunch in Hungary though, saying that Serbia’s partners had promised the Hungarian part of the project would be fully completed by April, or May at the latest, paving the way for direct services.
“We are talking to our Hungarian colleagues and their promise is that the railway will be fully completed in April, May this year at the latest. The good news for all our citizens is that in the Spring they will be able to board a train in Belgrade and be in Budapest in less than three hours.”
The Belgrade–Subotica line was officially put into operation on 8 October last year, while the Novi Sad–Subotica link was opened five days earlier. “After the opening of these two railways, all that remains is to connect Belgrade with Budapest, from where we will have connections with the rest of Europe,” she added.
Hungarian rail officials have also confirmed plans for through passenger services to Vienna, with two services planned linking Belgrade, Budapest and the Austrian capital. According to MÁV, the Avala EuroCity will return between Vienna and Belgrade via Budapest, while the Ivo Andrić EuroCity will be extended to Vienna, fitting into the existing hourly EuroCity pattern between Budapest and Vienna. But for now, all of this hinges on the end-January TÜV report, which will determine whether Hungary’s section of the long-awaited Budapest–Belgrade railway finally opens.