Riding Serbia's China-Built High Speed Rail (Belgrade-Novi Sad)
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- čas přidán 13. 06. 2024
- Did you know that Serbia has a reasonably new high speed train connecting its two largest cities of Belgrade and Novi Sad? It's a project that is part of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that will ulimately aim to link Budapest with Athens. The future of rail transport in this part of Europe is looking promising!
Thanks for watching everyone! If you enjoyed this video, make sure to check out my other two episodes from Serbia. In the first, I take an Air Serbia flight from Berlin to Belgrade, and later check-in at the iconic Hotel Jugoslavija. In the second, I visit Tito's grave and his private train, the famous plavi voz.
omg..this looks great!
Here's one little addition: the most impresive and demanding part of the line: Čortanovci tunnel and viaduct, was constructed by Russia. I think they built more than half of the line to Novi Sad.
Last December the trip took only 28 minutes, but recently they had some issues on Belgrade stations with people somehow stealing cables and destroying their equipment, so until that`s fixed they did announce that there will be some delays in June.
Couple of years ago I was commuting from NS to BG, we had only that regular train, but back then it`s maximum speed was 45km/h, and not 160km/h like it`s now. The speed wasnt the biggest issue then, old power installations would quite often short out and we would be stranded for hours in the middle of the trip. So this now is like we jumped 200 years from what we had just 5-6 years ago.
Where's security and why aren't any of those vandals caught and identified?
Serbia is being modernized so rapidly! BRAVO!
The woman was not booting you from first class, she was asking you to sit down since standing is not permitted while the train is moving. The drinks and snacks are also served in both first and second class. Cheers from Belgrade Serbia!
Correct! I wanted to write this.
Ah, so me being booted from first class happened about two or three minutes before the clip where the woman you see tells me to sit down (she also spoke very good English), because I had made my way into the area by a door to film out of the window. So I promise it did actually happen :) haha
@RevolutionaryRoads1984 which you very conveniently didn't film.
@@MachkasterOnTheRoof It's not convenient at all...obviously it would have made for better content. But I don't film every second of a journey.
well this Train is actualy a Swiss made one , China train will come on duty next Year or at end of 2024 until Serbian Railway finishing renouving the rail until Subotica ! and up at end of 2025 we`ll take a ride with "COKO ( SOKO)" to Budapest !
Thank you so much very Nice vidéo ! Vive la Serbie 🇷🇸 🇷🇸 🇷🇸
Very nice.Still did not have a chance to take a ride with this train.Greetings from Serbia.
Excellent Video Bro! Thumbs Up!
6:00 somebody who ordered those trains knew what good foldable tables are supposed to look like. I'm impressed. We don't have such technology here in Estonia.
You see a 🇨🇭 STADLER train only. No 🇨🇳 ones (not yet exist 😅).
ELRON has a lot of STADLER trains since years !!
Wild scrap metal collectors have stolen 50 meters of control cables in Belgrade. We all know who I’m talking about. As a result, every train is now running 7 minutes late. Repairs are underway.
Who (Just curious)... fantastic trains btw
@@TIR_ANA Well-known groups that repeat offenses. Unfortunately, the penalties are small and only cover the material value of what was stolen, which in this case is a few hundred euros. The real damage is immeasurable.
@@gazibengazi Why are the penalties small?
@@gazibengazi Are they Gypsies/Roma?
Roma people stole parts from rail contact network which causes train running late unfortunately, in 99% trains on time
Roma and Muslims, right?
@@avigdonable Most often yeah but a good part is also christian.
@@avigdonable They being muslims doesn't really have anything to do with it 🤣 They pretty much adopt whatever religion avalible.
@@SrpskoSarajevo That last word really put a dampner to the narrative he was trying to construct.
China gives best credit lines to finance the project, with conditions that chinese company's with Chinese workers technology will do the job. And they are doing it very well and fast! Of course Serbia is paying for everything!
Reading lamp face = classic
Fun fact - railroad Belgrade-Novi Sad is not Chinese built but Russian built,Chinese are building railroad from Novi Sad to Subotica ( practicaly Serbia-Hungary border ).It will be operational by the end of this year or till midlle of 2025.
Rusi su najteži deo posla obavili.
We never got to do this when we went last year but we'll be back to give it a go, good to see a new rail service! Nice video too mate!
My dude, you are an absolute цар. Ignore the haters and just keep doing what you're doing!
Great video.
Glad you enjoyed it!
By this video, I was thinking that you're a big youtuber with thousands of subscribers, good stuff mate
That's the goal! Hopefully soon :)
Ok.
This rail is just part of long high speed rail across whole Serbia, even outside of Serbia.
Money is mostly from Serbia + small parts from Russia, Kuwait and EU funds.
Rail was builded by chinese companies together with some austrian and serbian companies.
From Budapest(Hungary) to the capital of southern Serbia, city of Niš(famous as Naissus in time of Roman and Byzantine empire).
Part from Belgrade up to the hungarian border was finished and will be opnede for couple months.
Part from Belgrade to Novi Sad alredy works, service SOKO cowers it.
Hungarian part will be finished for 6+ months, i am not sure when exactly.
This train is part of high speed trains fleet of Railways of Serbia, 8 trains. In future 10 trains.
3 STADLER KISS double_decker swiss trains(bought year of 2021.)
+ 5 high speed chinese CRRC trains(bought this year)
+ 2 STADLER KISS trains will arrive later.
Name of high speed service is SOKO, it means HAWK on serbian.
Also, Serbian Railways has:
35 STADLER FLIRT 2 trains, 160km per hour, swiss trains(bought 2017. i think or 2015. ???).
18 STADLER FLIRT 4 trains, 160km per hour(compared ot the 2 trains, main diference is diferent seats compoition, added USB plugs for all seats and added digital display-s for informations for passangers and as small train cinema(bought this year).
25 METRO VAGON DMU trains, russian trains, 120-160km per hour, non electric diesel trains(2015.).
I‘m glad that Serbia finally invests in his railway. The only thing i never will understand is all around the project of the new Beograd Centar station, which i find a huge disaster and not conducive to increase the passengers using the railway. With 1,7 million inhabitants the passenger amount of Beograd Centar is 3‘000 per day…
That steam engine is model MAV 375, build by MAV in Hungary during 1920's, Yugoslavian railroads company got like hundreds of them.
Thanks for solving this mystery for me!
I think most (if not all) of the rail infrastructure were financed and built mainly by Russia. The Chinese are mainly involved in the section from Novi Sad to Subotica.
China didn't build it, Serbia payed for it and build it, Serbia hired Chinese companies for construction, but there were a lot of local contractors too. A lot of misinformation is spread about this project.
Zaboravio si da je Ruska kompanija radila najvažniji objekat na trasi,tunel i vijadukt kod Čortanovaca.
Paid from Chinese credit line 😂
@@dotla80 I finansirano je iz ruskog kredita koji je podigla predhodna vlast pre 2012.
@@blok63 Tako je tada je i rađen drugi kolosek i most na Tamišu od tog kredita .
In fact, most of the Belgrade-Novi Sad railway was built by Russian railways company, but Chinese and Serbian railways companies also worked on it. The Novi Sad - Subotica section is mostly made by a Chinese company, plus a Serbian one. It is financed partly by Chinese and partly by Russian credit.
Bourgoise tendecies😂😂nice one...
If we , in Serbia, were waiting for a EU know how enterprize to build 200 km/h rail line, I think my grandsons will ride it...maybe..
As you were driven with Soko, Chinese completed the entire high speed rail road to Hungary/ Serbian border conecting 4th city of Subotica with NS and BG...by the Xmass it will start, about a dozens Stadlers and chinese trains are allready arrived...
Haha, it was a reference to two previous trips/videos where I booked first-class sleeper cabins, first between Chisinau and Bucharest, and then Bucharest and Budapest.
I find the whole project quite inspiring - glad to see this in operation for the benefit of commuters in Serbia.
China invests massively in Serbia. It is like China tries to get foot in the Balkan region, investing in countries like Serbia and Greece
Invested nothing, Serbia payed for it.
@@AcaCZVInfrastruktura je urađena i radi se na kineski kredit ali su investicije u postojenja i fabrike, investicija za sebe.
First railway in Kingdom of Serbia, second half of XIX century, came as a part of Berlin Baghdad project.
So big guys want to pass through, they invest, we participate and that's how it goes.
Now China is interested in trade. Unfortunately US was interested only in cutting off Serbia's heartland of Kosovo and Metohija in order to establish it's biggest military base there.
US did that to its only ally in ww1 and ww2 here in the Balkan.
Pitty, shameless US foreign policy will strike it back somewhere, Ukraine or God knows where.
Everyone that is interested is welcomed to invest here. Call it a footholds, politics, conquer... if you are able to compete, you're welcome. Simple as that. There are investments from all sides. Chinese, Russian, EU, Turkey, Arab...
This investment is Serbian and companies that are payed to do some work are from various countries and continents. Trains also...
I hope you see it is inappropriate to look this as a political thing
Train is this video is Stedlre KISS train, not the Chinese one. Most of the rail BG-NS was financed and built by Russia. From NS to border with Hungary the rail was build and finances by China.
Only thing I don't understand, why is station in Novi Sad under reconstruction again because it was reconstructed two years ago
I had this same question. I remember seeing videos of it from about a year back looking very fresh. I was somewhat disappointed about not being able to properly check out the departure hall.
Corruption of course
Because they get double money off course
No, she said you can seat on seat next to you or go on other side to seat but you can't stand till train moves!!
Yes, I know. :) This was after I had been moved from first class, but I understand the way it's edited might be confusing.
Wow, amazing.🎷 I just hope this didn't affect wildlife. I am dumb to think it didn't or will not. 😞
well, am not sure if we can call a 200km/h train a 'high speed' nowadays.. now there's 300-350km/h bullet trains, thats fast
i would respectfully call this serbian train an 'express'
It seems that 200 km an hour is the minimum speed needed for a train to be considered high speed. Nonetheless, your point is well taken. If you have ever been onboard one of those 300-350 km/h trains, I'm sure the Soko Express wouldn't seem so fast at all. :)
in region where trains go 30km/h this is not a "high speed" it is more like science fiction
For example, it is almost 5 times faster than average (44km/h) in neighbouring EU country Croatia. I take them as probably better example than others
@@RevolutionaryRoads1984
Standardna brzine u EU je 160 km/h tako da ovo spada u brze pruge .
@@bgdabg6769 True, i took Belgrade - Niš couple of times and its a gruelling experience, it takes around 6 hours, 5h 30 min if you are lucky and there are maaaany sections where it goes 30 kmh ffor a long time. Its cheaper than taking a bus, but its not worth it, always take a bus to Niš.
it's a Stadler KISS train, not chinese
I mention this in the video. The point is that the line was upgraded through China's Belt and Road Initiative.
So basically, it says the the journey is 36minutes but its 56minutes?
Belgrade - Novi Sad
36 min by IC train (Soko brand)
56 min by Regio train
47 min by RegioExpress train
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👏👏👏👏👏👏
Sad that railway officials in this case conducters don't speak English (some of them) but are able to work on Soko...
Everyone I met on this journey happened to speak great English.
Maliciozni žutać rešen.😂😂😂
@@RevolutionaryRoads1984 She was answering you in Serbian on this video. Pointing and saying in Serbian. Maybe she later realised and gave you answer in English. But we don't see that. Nisam član ni jedne partije nikad bio botino.
@@videoizazov Yes, I understand. I felt it was a bit intrusive of me to keep filming her after she gestured for me to move elsewhere. :)
Its only 200 km (belgrade- Subotice)... this is nothing
It just barely fits the classification of being high-speed. ;)
No, this is just part of long rail across whole Serbia. Rail will be finished for 2 years. Part Belgrade-hungarian border was finished alredy. Part hungarian border-Budapest will be finished for 6+ months. Part Belgrade-Niš(capital of southern Serbia) will be finished for 2 years. Under constrution at the moment.
Serbia is a small country, we do not need 350km per hour trains, 200km per hour is more then enough. Average speed before new rails is something like 50km per hours.
@@RevolutionaryRoads1984 this is just a beginn in next step this railway will be shifted up to 250Km/h and this is enough it will meen that you`ll need about 50minutes from Beograd to Subotica and not moore than 2:30 h to Budapest you can imagen how long it can take to Vienna , i think , not moore than 4,30h!
@@hypatiatv421👍🏻
Dude, you compare this train that runs 150 km/h to Japan's and China's bullet trains? Vučić must be paying you to sing his praises.
If only he did! Seriously though, the point is that now Serbia has something that can be considered high speed, even if of course it pales in comparison to the speeds of some of those other trains.
Very soon there is a high speed railway from Hungary border to Belgrade and in the near future it will come to Niš (Nais) born city of emperors Constantine!!! Yes, yes of course emperor's Constantine is Serbian dude yes, yes🤔🤫😒😎🤌You come with Stadler flirt 3 OMG!!!🥺🤪😂
I think thay will arrive with FLIRT 4
this train line is not secure if go to greece through north macedonia coz the two nations don't have a good relationship with each other, so the future is uncertain, the ideal route should be go to the seaside through montnegro instead, the latter has a stably tight relationship with serbia.
EU won't pay for a connection to a non-EU country, instead will fund the railway Belgrade - Nis - Sofia - Thessaloniki.
In december 2024 they will open section of this HSR from Novi Sad to Hungarian border, and also new Fuxing chinese trains for 200 km/h were bought and will run on that section.
After that one is completed, next year they will start upgrading for 200 km/h all the way south to Niš. That section to Niš will be mostly funded by EU funds, EU already allocated 600 million euros + some loans from EU banks.
As for cureent train, you have 3 levels, IC-intersiti that go directly Belgrade-NS in 36 minutes (run by Stadler Kiss - nicknamed "Soko" aka "Falcon")and 2 regional that stop on basically all stations so they go from 46 to 59 minutes (run by Stadler Flirt trains).
seems they still have problems in the managing systems, in china high-speed trains won't be late even for a single minute.
Delay was due to technical problems. Unknown Idiots broke something important in Novi Beograd station, so trains have to reduce speed from 100km/h to 10km/h between Novi Beograd station and Tošin bunar station.
Btw, now it's ok. They I've solved the problem
3rd world country... We hate that western expression in Serbia, I mean how many worlds there are really... Every country lives its own world, who we are to judge and impose our world to anyone? Who owns this planet? So called ''West''? No. China builds and develops, not interfere in politics of our country in any way, even contributes in important organisations like UNSC and others... That being said, entertaining and informative video. :) China treats Serbia as equal partner in business. Not demanding, and taking, like some others wannabe owners of the planet... I live ina county named the sam for over 1700 years. that can not be said for most of EU member states that teaches me to be ''european''. Like, wtf is wrong with those people I am Europe before most of them even existed as organized tribes LOL...
Of course you hate that expression, because you know it is true. The west doesn't own anything. It just has inventions, knowlegde, society, technology and status, which have btw taken centuries to develop, to offer. China and Russia are just illegal users of all that. Both countries are rigorous to sell propaganda, so does your government (SNS). They make you believe that prosperity is everywhere, and that they are the best, while meanwhile not showing you economic and social decay they are creating which is far worse from imaginable. And far worse that's actually visible innthe west. In the west all the problems are obvious and are publicly exposed. Because of that, you think the west is deteriorating while Russia and China are thriving.
Of course they are not interfering with anything. Their mission is not making your society better for every Serb, which is going to benefit everyone in the longer term, but to take full advantage of your land and people, which has been sold to them for practically nothing and for only their own benefits. Their generous low interest rate loan is just for the high speed line from macedonian border to Hungarian border, because they will be massively benefiting and will be able to quickly transport the cargo from their port in Piraeus into Europe. What about the other conventional rails, what about cities outside NS and Belgrade. More than 60% of people live there. Who is going to develop that infrastructure? I can show you in what condition the tracks are in the rest of the country, be my guest and watch that if you dare:
czcams.com/video/UN3gLnOV4Gw/video.htmlsi=PhuFj4cghdRc9GYn
Who is going to invest in agriculture? Who is going to invest in industry? Well I know for the fact that western companies are giving more jobs to serb people than any chinese or russian firm could ever give by now. They haven't built a single massive factory in Serbia yet.
The problem is that for the EU, you have to first make your society functioning like a stable trustworthy country, no propaganda, low corruption, working and stable financial system, working law system, workers rights, agriculture development, building standards and you have to pay to the common funds. If you're underdeveloped you will receive more than you pay, but you'll have to comply to the rules. (And you get that money, no loans) But not just for a pompose 100 km of railway track, but for the every aspect of your society. Schools, infrastructure, companies, municipalities. Take your neighbor Romania for example. They entered EU in 2007, yes it took almost 20 years, but now they are one of the fastest developing countries in Europe, their SOCIETY has taken a huge step ahead.
The only model of development that has worked by now is western, because its much harder and there are drastic changes to be done to improve, which can't be done overnight, but take years. That's sustainable other overnight crap you tend to believe into unfortunately isn't. Fast food shit they're selling to you is only going to make most of Serbian people poorer while the top 1% will have even more. Places where sharks benefit from will thrive the others will deteriorate even more. Salaries will mostly remain unworthy of a decent life.
Therefore, only the countries who have complied to the western model have by now became developed nations, which can benefit every person from their society, those complying to the Russian or Chinese only became their poorer marionettes with the deluded decay of their society staying inside and others moving to the west. History speaks for itself.
The last question. If everything is so great in Serbia and it's not the 3rd world country. Why are the educated and worldly people moving out? And not particularly moving out to China or Russia, but to the west. Because Russia and China offer what??? and actually developed west doesnt? Why do they all move to EU, Switzerland, Norway, USA, Canada, Australia, UAE?
I mean no offense to you and congratulations on the great project. But I kindly suggest you look oudside the frames and see that larger picture.
Those definitions are so strange, because the original definition of these terms did not refer to the economy and development parameters, first world countries referred to countries that belonged to the US bloc, second world countries to countries in the USSR bloc, and third world countries to countries that were unaligned (which Yugoslavia was). But today those terms have somehow been transformed into parameters for the economy and development, so first world are super rich and developed countries, second world are those countries in the middle that are not super rich and super developed but not poor and underdeveloped either (Serbia belongs to this group) and third world are super poor and super underdeveloped countries. If he called China third world that is wrong on many levels since that country is world biggest economy.