Serbia’s large-scale railway investment programme is entering a phase focused increasingly on passenger and freight use as new airport, international and regional connections expand across the network. A key development is the railway link to Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. Construction has covered the first 11 kilometres of the approximately 18-kilometre Zemun Polje–Airport–National Stadium corridor, with the remaining section scheduled for completion by the end of the year.
The government expects the airport connection to handle around 10,000 passengers a day, equivalent to approximately 3.5 million passengers annually. The planned journey between Prokop and the airport is about 20 minutes, with passenger services targeted for spring 2027.
Airport railway prepares for passenger operations
The airport connection is intended to link Nikola Tesla Airport with central Belgrade, the wider national railway network and development associated with Expo-related activity in Surčin. The airport has expanded rapidly, while surface access remains predominantly road-based. The planned rail service would introduce a direct railway connection with a scheduled travel time of around 20 minutes from Prokop.
At the northern end of the network, Hungary has completed the final full-load test of the Budapest–Belgrade high-speed railway, leaving the start of commercial operations as the main outstanding step.
Novi Sad and international passenger routes
The TPS Novi Sad stop began receiving Soko passengers, restoring high-speed rail access within Novi Sad while the city’s main railway station remains closed. International rail connectivity is also expanding beyond the Budapest route, while freight services are broadening through the new Zagreb–Novi Sad route via Bosnia.
The developments bring together domestic passenger services, international high-speed connections and additional freight routes within Serbia’s expanding railway network.
Freight corridors add regional connectivity
Improved north-south railway infrastructure is strengthening Serbia’s connections between Central Europe and ports in Greece and the Adriatic region, creating additional routes for freight operators and logistics companies. The economic performance of the new infrastructure will increasingly depend on how intensively the network is used. Passenger and freight volumes, service frequency, border procedures, ticket integration, station access and freight reliability will influence how effectively the upgraded infrastructure operates. The railway programme has therefore moved beyond construction of individual lines and stations toward the operation of a connected transport network serving passengers, exporters and logistics companies.
