The Budapest-Belgrade railway, a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is a key infrastructure undertaking jointly built by China, Hungary, and Serbia to link the two capitals.
The Hungarian section, spanning approximately 158.6 km, is an electrified line designed for both passenger and freight transport, with a maximum speed of 160 km per hour.
Construction of the Hungarian section, jointly undertaken by China Railway Group Limited and local Hungarian firms, began in July 2020 and entered the civil engineering construction phase in February 2022.
The project marks the first time that Chinese railway technology and equipment have been aligned with the European Union’s Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI).
The Serbian section of the railway became fully operational last October.
Once the entire line is in full service, travel time between Budapest and Belgrade will be slashed from eight hours to approximately three and a half hours.
The upgraded link is expected to significantly facilitate people-to-people exchanges and the transport of goods, boosting economic development along the route while strengthening connectivity across Central and Eastern Europe.
