Deadline for completion works first lines metro it has been moved again from 2028 to 2030, they confirmed in the JKP "Belgrade Metro and Train", it says New economy.
By the end of 2030, according to the latest official information, work on the first phase of "line one" of the Belgrade metro will be completed. "Belgrade Metro" explains that the first phase covers the route from the starting station Železnik to the final terminus - the Pancevački Most station.
According to earlier announcements, Belgrade should already have two metro lines by the end of 2030. The first one was supposed to be finished earlier in 2028.
What will be done next year?
The next year, they announce from this public company, will be crucial when it comes to the start of works. "Metro" says that in the second quarter of 2025, preparatory works will begin as part of the construction of the first phase of line one of the Belgrade metro, which will include the relocation of underground installations, clearing and complete preparation of the terrain.
By the end of 2025, construction work should begin on the construction of the metro stations themselves, which will be preceded by the signing of contracts with the contractors - the Chinese company Power China and the French company Alstom.
A loan from Deutsche Bank in the amount of EUR 178,38 million, which was recently realized, will provide funds for the start of key activities, primarily at the Depot on Makis, and will significantly speed up the works within the construction of the first phase of "line 1" of the metro.
The entire metro system will be managed from the Makis Depot.
What has been done so far?
"Belgrade Metro" says that the works on the filling of the terrain on the Makiško polje have been completed. The works were started at the end of 2021 on a site of 72 hectares. Also, the area for the future Depot Makiš, Park&Ride and Terminus of public city transport near the starting metro station Železnik has been paved.
The construction of the infrastructure facilities of the depot on Makiš includes a total of seven facilities - an administrative building/control operation center with four halls: an inspection hall, a maintenance hall, a train parking hall and an infrastructure vehicle maintenance hall. The other two buildings are the entrance gatehouse and the substation.
Also, as they add from "Metro", a fire station will be built that will serve the Depot, but also the entire Makis field. In addition to the mentioned facilities, tracks, track connections and internal roads with connections to the city's railway and road network will be built, which will ensure the operation of all operations inside the Makish depot.
"When it comes to displacement, the first procedures for resolving property-legal relations at the locations covered by the Action Plan for Displacement began in early 2023, while the last ones were initiated during November of the current year. The Resettlement Action Plan itself mainly regulates the compensation determination procedure, that is, it contains a 'matrix of rights' that will be applied in compensation determination procedures based on legally binding decisions on expropriation/administrative transfer. Bearing in mind the above, in the compensation determination procedures at all locations, the Action Plan for Displacement will be applied and this phase will last until all the requirements stated in the plan, which are in accordance with the relevant Performance Standards of the International Finance Corporation, are met. se.
The budget for the metro is shrinking
Let's remind the budget for the metro in Belgrade has been reduced again.
Namely, the budget for the next year, 2025, foresees investments in the construction of the Belgrade Metro in the amount of 6,5 billion dinars, that is, about 55,5 million euros. However, this is less than the investments foreseen in the budget for the current year, which amount to 7,4 billion dinars, i.e. around 63,24 million euros.
According to the revised Fiscal Strategy 2025-2027, 11 times less money has been provided for the construction of the metro than originally planned. According to the original plan, more than 141 billion dinars should have been allocated, namely 31,1 billion in 2025 and another 110 billion in 2026. This was reduced to a total of 13 billion dinars - 6,5 billion per year.
The metro suffered a budget "cut" in 2023 as well. Then, according to the Budget Rebalancing, the funds for the metro were reduced from the originally planned 30 to four billion dinars.