Serbian Railways
Encyclopedia
Serbian Railways is the national (and sole) railway carrier of Serbia
. Its current network spans a distance of 4,347 km in length, with 32% electrified railways.
Serbia is a member of the International Union of Railways
(UIC). The UIC Country Code
for Serbia is 72.
Serbian Railways as a company is traced back to 1881 when King Milan I declared formation of the Serbian National Railways. The first royal train departed from Belgrade
to Niš
on August 23, 1884, which is considered by Serbian Railways as the official year when the company was created. The first electrified line was opened between Belgrade
and Šid
in 1970.
From the 1920s to the dissolution of Yugoslavia
it operated under the name Yugoslav Railways
. The department responsible for in-train service and catering is called "KSR - Kola za Spavanje i Ručavanje" (in English: "The Dining and Sleeping Wagons)"
Craiova (classes 461 which is used mainly for cargo transport due to its moderate speed), built under the same licence. Some of these locomotives recently underwent comprehensive modernization either by MIN or Končar Zagreb.
The diesel traction is powered by locomotives built by General Motors Company (classes 645, 661, 664, 666), MIN (classes 741, 742, 734), Macosa
(class 644), Đuro Đaković Company (class 662, 643, 642), Metrovagonmash 711, as well as by some other, mostly European suppliers. Diesel trainsets (DMU classes 710
, 712 and 812) are used mainly on local lines.
On April 14, 2010, Serbian railways director Milovan Marković and manager of the Russian company Metrovagonmash signed a contract for the delivery of ten new diesel motor trains, as well as the purchase of the tools and equipment for maintenance, expendable material and spare parts, preparation of technical documentation and training of Serbian Railways staff for the operation of these trains. The value of this contract is 34.500.000 Swiss francs. The first train will arrive in 2011 and the rest in 2012.
is used as a train designed in previous century for passengers to experience. Long haul operations are separated service-wise. Long distance destinations are served by two different services; destinations from Belgrade to southern Serbia and Montenegro
are mostly served by the Belgrade-Bar line. For destinations outside Serbia and Montenegro, the Avala inter-city train serves destinations like Venice
, Munich
, Vienna
, Thessaloniki
, Budapest
, Kiev
, and Moscow
, and they all pass through Mala Krsna, the second biggest railroad knot in Serbia.
The direct service between Belgrade
and Sarajevo
, which was cut in the early 1990s during the Yugoslav Wars
, was reopened in December 2009.
In 2010, Serbian Railways joined Cargo 10
, a joint venture with other railways in the region. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
has given a series of four loans to Zeleznice Srbije to support modernisation.
Bulgarian State Railways
Croatian Railways
Hungarian State Railways
Makedonski Železnici
Railways of Montenegro
Căile Ferate Române
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. Its current network spans a distance of 4,347 km in length, with 32% electrified railways.
Serbia is a member of the International Union of Railways
International Union of Railways
The UIC , or International Union of Railways, is an international rail transport industry body.- Brief history :The railways of Europe originated as separate concerns. There were many border changes after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. Colonial railways were the responsibility of the...
(UIC). The UIC Country Code
UIC Country Code
The UIC Country Code is a two digit number used to identify member countries of the International Union of Railways . The UIC has issued numbering systems for rolling stock and train stations that both contain the UIC Country Code. The values are defined in UIC leaflet 920-14.-Table of Codes:-...
for Serbia is 72.
History
Serbian Railways as a company is traced back to 1881 when King Milan I declared formation of the Serbian National Railways. The first royal train departed from Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
to Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
on August 23, 1884, which is considered by Serbian Railways as the official year when the company was created. The first electrified line was opened between Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
and Šid
Šid
Šid is a town and municipality in the Srem District of Vojvodina, Serbia. Šid town has a population of 16,301, and Šid municipality 38,921.-Name:...
in 1970.
From the 1920s to the dissolution of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
it operated under the name Yugoslav Railways
Jugoslovenske železnice
Yugoslav Railways , with standard acronym JŽ, was a railway company created in Yugoslavia, in the 1920s.The company was first founded as the National Railways of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In 1929, it was renamed along with the country to Yugoslav State Railways...
. The department responsible for in-train service and catering is called "KSR - Kola za Spavanje i Ručavanje" (in English: "The Dining and Sleeping Wagons)"
Rolling stock
The rolling stock consists mostly of fast electric train sets (EMU class 412) and of electric locomotives built in the cooperation between Mašinska Industrija Niš (MIN) and KONČAR Group (classes 441 and 444), under the Swedish licence, as well as Romanian built ElectroputereElectroputere
Electroputere S.A. , is a company based in Craiova, Romania. Founded in 1949, it is today one of the largest industrial companies in Romania....
Craiova (classes 461 which is used mainly for cargo transport due to its moderate speed), built under the same licence. Some of these locomotives recently underwent comprehensive modernization either by MIN or Končar Zagreb.
The diesel traction is powered by locomotives built by General Motors Company (classes 645, 661, 664, 666), MIN (classes 741, 742, 734), Macosa
MACOSA
Material y Construcciones S.A. or MACOSA was a Spanish heavy-engineering company, mainly producing products for the rail industry. From 1989 onwards the organisation was named Meinfesa and became part of the GEC-Alstom group of companies, until 2005 when it became part of the Vossloh group as...
(class 644), Đuro Đaković Company (class 662, 643, 642), Metrovagonmash 711, as well as by some other, mostly European suppliers. Diesel trainsets (DMU classes 710
Y1 (railcar)
The Y1 is a diesel-hydraulic standard gauge railcar . It is in use in Croatia, Norway, Serbia, Kosovo and Sweden.The production of the railcars was begun in 1980 by Kalmar Verkstad and Fiat Ferroviaria for Sweden.- Italy :...
, 712 and 812) are used mainly on local lines.
On April 14, 2010, Serbian railways director Milovan Marković and manager of the Russian company Metrovagonmash signed a contract for the delivery of ten new diesel motor trains, as well as the purchase of the tools and equipment for maintenance, expendable material and spare parts, preparation of technical documentation and training of Serbian Railways staff for the operation of these trains. The value of this contract is 34.500.000 Swiss francs. The first train will arrive in 2011 and the rest in 2012.
Services
Serbian Railways has many services, ranging from domestic and international routes to tourist rides. For tourism, the heritage line Šargan EightŠargan Eight
The Šargan Eight is a narrow-gauge heritage railway in Serbia, running from the village of Mokra Gora to Šargan Vitasi station. An extension to Višegrad in the Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was finished on 28 August 2010....
is used as a train designed in previous century for passengers to experience. Long haul operations are separated service-wise. Long distance destinations are served by two different services; destinations from Belgrade to southern Serbia and Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
are mostly served by the Belgrade-Bar line. For destinations outside Serbia and Montenegro, the Avala inter-city train serves destinations like Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, and Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, and they all pass through Mala Krsna, the second biggest railroad knot in Serbia.
The direct service between Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
and Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, which was cut in the early 1990s during the Yugoslav Wars
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
, was reopened in December 2009.
In 2010, Serbian Railways joined Cargo 10
Cargo 10
Cargo 10 is a railway organisation set up by the national railway companies of Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia. Subsequently, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina joined. The name is a reference to the pan-European "Corridor 10". Cargo 10 aims to speed up international rail cargo, and attract new...
, a joint venture with other railways in the region. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Founded in 1991, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development uses the tools of investment to help build market economies and democracies in 30 countries from central Europe to central Asia. Its mission was to support the formerly communist countries in the process of establishing their...
has given a series of four loans to Zeleznice Srbije to support modernisation.
Railway links with adjacent countries
Bosnia and HerzegovinaRail transport in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Railway operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina are successors of the Yugoslav Railways within the country boundaries following independence from the Former Yugoslavia in 1992.-Overview:...
Bulgarian State Railways
Bulgarian State Railways
The Bulgarian State Railways are Bulgaria's state railway company and the largest railway carrier in the country, established as an entity in 1885. The company's headquarters are located in the capital Sofia. Since the 1990s the BDZ has met serious competition from automotive transport...
Croatian Railways
Croatian Railways
Croatian Railways is the national railway company of Croatia. It was formed after the dissolution of Yugoslavia and Yugoslav Railways.Croatia is a member of the International Union of Railways . The UIC Country Code for Croatia is 78.-Railway network:...
Hungarian State Railways
Hungarian State Railways
Hungarian State Railways is the Hungarian national railway company, with divisions "MÁV Start Zrt" and "MÁV Cargo Zrt" ....
Makedonski Železnici
Makedonski Zeleznici
MŽ is the public enterprise for railway infrastructure in the Republic of Macedonia.The Republic of Macedonia is a member of the International Union of Railways...
Railways of Montenegro
Railways of Montenegro
Rail transport in Montenegro is operated by three separate companies, which independently handle railway infrastructure, passenger transport and cargo transport.Montenegro is a member of the International Union of Railways...
Căile Ferate Române
Caile Ferate Române
Căile Ferate Române is the official designation of the state railway carrier of Romania. Romania has a railway network of of which are electrified and the total track length is . The network is significantly interconnected with other European railway networks, providing pan-European passenger...