China's 1st high-speed rail export to Europe: Hungary-Serbia railway project deal signed

Ti Gong

China on Tuesday signed a contract with Serbia to provide high-speed trains for a key Belt and Road Initiative railway project in Europe.

Serbia's Ministry of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure signed the business contract with China's CRRC Changchun for the procurement of high-speed trains needed for the Hungary-Serbia railway during the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.

The Hungary-Serbia railway, reported as a flagship project of China's BRI with Central and Eastern European countries, spans a total of 341.7 kilometers, with 183.1 kilometers in Serbia and 158.6 kilometers in Hungary.

Once operational, the project will reduce travel time between the capitals of Hungary and Serbia, Budapest and Belgrade, respectively, from 8 hours to 3 hours.

The trains in the agreement are distributed power electric multiple units, consisting of 20 train cars (in five sets). Each train has four cars (two powered, two unpowered) and can operate at a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour.

They are scheduled to be put into use by 2025.

These high-speed train units are built specifically for the Hungary-Serbia railway, using a reliable technology that complies with European interoperability technical standards. They offer features such as greater intelligence and comfort and are environmentally friendly.

This also marks the first export of high-speed train units with a speed of over 200kph from China to Europe.