27th February 2026 – (Budapest) Freight operations on the Hungarian stretch of the Budapest–Belgrade railway resumed shortly after midnight on Friday, with the first cargo train departing from Budapest’s Ferencváros station. The cross-border railway, a flagship infrastructure scheme under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, is being developed jointly by China, Hungary and Serbia to connect the two capitals and modernise transport links in the region. Hungary’s section of the line extends roughly 158.6 kilometres and has been electrified to accommodate both passenger and freight services. Trains on the upgraded route are designed to operate at speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour. Work on the Hungarian segment began in July 2020 through a partnership between China Railway Group Limited and Hungarian construction companies. The project moved into its main civil engineering phase in February 2022. It also represents the first instance of Chinese railway systems and equipment being brought into conformity with the European Union’s Technical Specifications for Interoperability, ensuring compatibility with EU rail standards. The Serbian portion of the railway entered full operation in October last year. When the entire line becomes fully operational, journey times between Budapest and Belgrade are expected to fall from around eight hours to approximately three and a half hours.
