Budapest–Belgrade freight begins under restrictions as ETCS delays cloud passenger launch

After four years of reconstruction and more than €2bn in investment, Hungary’s section of the Budapest—Belgrade railway has finally seen its first freight trains. But behind the symbolic restart lies a more complicated operational reality. While traffic has technically begun on the 160-kilometre stretch, key elements of the line’s control system remain uncommissioned, capacity is sharply restricted, and the launch of passenger services, previously expected this spring, is now increasingly uncertain.