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(Photo: Serbian Government)

Serbia has started building a 22 km railway bypass around the southern city of Niš as part of a project to upgrade the railway line linking Niš with Dimitrovgrad, on the border with Bulgaria, the government said.

The project involves constructing a single-track electrified railway that will enable trains to travel at speeds of up to 120 km per hour. Additionally, the Crveni Krst section, which connects to the bypass, will also be electrified said the government in a press release.

The Belgrade-Niš railway line forms part of Pan-European Corridor X connecting central Europe to Greece’s Aegean port of Thessaloniki.

The president emphasised the significance of the Belgrade-Niš railway project for the Serbian government and revealed that future discussions with the European Union will revolve around completing the railway extension from Niš to Preševo and North Macedonia.

President Vučić attended the launch of the Niš railway bypass construction, which is part of the Niš-Dimitrovgrad railway modernization project on Corridor 10.

He stated that the EU has contributed €80 million for the railway and €35 million for the Niš bypass, covering a distance of 22.5 kilometres. Vučić also highlighted that the travel time from Belgrade to Niš will be reduced to just 1 hour and 40 minutes, while the journey from Budapest to Niš will take only 4.5 hours.

Additionally, the new high-speed railway will make travel to Greece and Turkey quicker.

President Vučić also indicated that discussions with the European Union are ongoing to complete the railway extension from Niš to Preševo, and after finalizing talks with North Macedonia, the railway will enable rapid travel to Thessaloniki and Athens.