March 21 (SeeNews) - Serbia launched during the weekend commercial traffic on a high-speed railway line linking Belgrade and Novi Sad following its overhaul by Russian and Chinese contractors, the government said.
The inaugural ride lasted 33 minutes, and the top speed achieved during the testing phase in January was 201.5 km/h, the government said in a statement on Saturday.
The reconstruction of the 74.9-kilometre line, part of the Belgrade-Budapest railway, started in 2017 and has cost some $935 million.
China Railway International (CRI) and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) are in charge of the reconstruction of the Belgrade-Stara Pazova section of the line, while Russia's RZD International is reconstructing the Stara Pazova-Novi Sad section.
Serbia's government previously signed a 62.2 million euro ($68.7 million) agreement with Swiss train manufacturer Stadler Rail for the delivery of three high-speed trains, to be used on the Belgrade-Novi Sad railway line.
The reconstruction of the section between Novi Sad and the country's border with Hungary started in November 2021, and is expected to be finalized by the end of 2024, the government added.
($ = 0.9044 euro)