Passengers are filming on the high-speed train on the Hungary-Serbia Railway.

Photo by Liu Yuxin

October is full of autumn in Serbia. In the capital Belgrade Central Railway Station, a brand new high-speed train stops next to the platform. An electronic screen shows that the terminal is the small border town of Subotica. This is the first special passenger train issued after the opening of the entire Serbian section of the Hungary-Serbia Railway. Local people stepped into the train to experience a new journey together and experience the "China Speed" of the train.

The total length of the Hungarian railway linking Belgrade and Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is 341.7 km, of which Serbia has a length of 183.1 km, and the highest hourly speed is 200 km, is the flagship project of China¡¯s cooperation with Central and Eastern European countries. The majority of the project routes are financed by China Import and Export Bank, China Railways International Co., Ltd. led, China Transportation Construction Co., Ltd. formed a Chinese joint venture responsible for construction.

After a brief acceleration, the electronic display in the car signaled that the train started to travel at a maximum speed of 200 kilometers per hour. Many passengers took their mobile phones and photographed their friends in front of the electronic display. Passenger Dragan told reporters: ¡°This railway connects Serbian cities efficiently, which is an important symbol of our nation¡¯s modernization.

Another passenger, Alexander, told reporters: ¡°High-speed trains are completely different from the old trains before. The wagon is very smooth, and the cup of coffee is placed on the small table and does not shake. The speed is incredibly fast, but the inside is quiet. I believe that the future high-speed train will become the preferred way of travel for more and more people.¡±

Recently, Serbian President Vucic personally experienced a test train to Subotica. He said that the previous train from Belgrade to Subotica took five hours, and that the train took only more than an hour to arrive. He regretted, ¡°Without Chinese friends, we could not such great achievements.¡±

The entire section of Hungarian Railway Serbia uses the rail control system developed independently by China Railway to introduce China's domestic autonomous communication signal, electricity and electrification, steel tracks, crossroads, bridge steel structures and other equipment, to build a high-speed unit of Hungarian Railway. As the first contract for China's high-speed railway to enter Europe, Hungarian Railway has also become the first project for China's railway technology equipment to be certified through the European Union's railway interconnection technology standards.

In March 2022, Hungarian Railways opened operations in Serbia from Belgrade to the Novysad section (Beno section), opening a new era of high-speed railways in the Balkans. After the opening of the Beno section, the operating time of the two locations was reduced from more than 90 minutes to about 30 minutes, with an average of 62 passenger trains operating daily, so far has cumulatively sent more than 12.6 million passengers, which has been highly appreciated by the Serbian government and the public. Alexander Adamović, the Director-General of the Serbian Railway, said that the construction of the Hungarian Railway with high standards has brought convenience to the lives of residents along the line and will continue to change the face of the country.

At 13: 22, the train arrived at Subotica Station, and passengers got off one after another. Looking into the distance from Subotica Station, the railway tracks continue to extend to the border between Serbia and Hungary, and the Hungarian section of the Hungary-Serbia railway is under construction. Hungary's Deputy Minister of Construction and Transport Cheprigey Nando said that the Hungarian section of the Hungary-Serbia Railway will be opened for operation next spring, when this railway will fully realize its potential and bring more opportunities to the economic development of Hungary and Serbia and regions.