The Russian Railways’ Holding completed the laying of a railway track across the Chortanovtsi viaduct on the floodplain of the river Danube on Tuesday (Aug 24).
The new track is designed to provide end-to-end traffic along the Stara Pazova – Novi Sad section of the Belgrade – Budapest line.
To mark the end of the construction, a ceremony was held which was attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Management Board of Russian Railways Oleg Belozerov, as well as by the Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia Tomislav Momirović, the Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Botan-Kharchenko and other distinguished guests.
Oleg Belozerov called the laying of the final link in the track’s superstructure yet another step in bringing closer the completion of one of the largest transport projects in Serbia’s entire history, one which has no analogues in the entire Balkan region in terms of its complexity and technical execution.
“Russia and Serbia have been united by one goal and task – the joint creation of infrastructure construction projects that we can all be proud of and that write a new chapter in our friendship and close cooperation in the past. Together we have achieved a common result, despite all the difficulties, while at the same time observing all the requirements with regard to epidemiological safety during the coronavirus pandemic,” said the head of Russian Railways.
Belozerov also added that the restrictions that became necessary due to the pandemic did not affect the pace of work and compliance with the Holding’s obligations.
In April this year, six months ahead of the contract terms, RZD International LLC, a subsidiary of Russian Railways, completed the construction and installation work on two of the largest railway facilities in Serbia – a three-kilometre viaduct and the Chortanovtsi tunnel.
Moreover, work on the construction and modernisation of the 40.4-km Stara Pazova – Novi Sad line is now in the final stages and will be completed on schedule: the construction and installation works have already been completed on all the artificial structures along the Stara Pazova – Novi Sad section, noise protection screens have been installed and 85% of the total track superstructure has been laid.
In addition, the construction of a contact network for the electrification of the railway line and the reconstruction of old and the construction of the new station and office buildings continue at an accelerated pace.
After its construction has been completed, the Stara Pazova – Novi Sad line will become the first high-speed railway in Serbia and will enable trains to reach speeds of up to 200 kph.
In order to confirm the reliability of the constructed facilities and their compliance with international standards, leading European railway companies were invited to take part in the process of technical supervision over the quality of work and testing.
