After seven years, the railway line connecting Szeged and Röszke, in the South of Hungary, is up and running again. The section is roughly 12 km long and it is part of the Budapest-Belgrade rail route. The total investment for the line renovation amounted to over 100 million euros. This project allows to fully start the reconstruction of the Budapest-Belgrade line.

The last time a train crossed the Szeged-Röszke line was in September 2015, before traffic was suspended. Monday evening a freight train crossed the line again heading towards Serbia to then reach the port of Piraeus and finally China. The twenty-car freight train was powered by Rail Cargo Hungaria Zrt.

The Csongrád-Csanád county police posted on Facebook that signalmen will provide assistance to the night trains in three locations. Between the railway yard of Szeged and Röszke, between Röszke and the border, and at the Röszke station. Moreover, trains will initially be allowed to run at a maximum speed of 60 km/h at all railway crossings.

Connecting Asia to the Balkans

The line is part of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line. The works for the full reconstruction of the section are finally complete and will help connect Europe to Asia via Turkey and the Balkans.

Demand for freight transportation between Budapest and Belgrade has already experienced a rise in demand. Once the projects are finished demand will increase even more, according to Zoltàn Pafféri, CEO of Hungarian State Railways (MÁV). Starting yesterday, the company will be able to ensure border crossing for up to ten trains per day between 6 pm and 8 am.

The new line will benefit both rail transport and intermodal rail-water transport. Moreover, it may open up opportunities for the economic development of Hungary, considering that it connects Hungary with the most important rail freight routes, according to David Vitezy, the Hungarian Minister of Technology and Industry.

The Szeged-Röszke line will link Szeged with Subotica. However, works on the Hungarian side will continue and should be completed by fall, allowing passenger transport to start again as well.

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