While the world is occupied by the geopolitical situation and by conflict na Middle East, Serbia can breathe a sigh of relief because its leader is Aleksandar Vučić. Or what the city manager of Belgrade, a member of the presidency of the Serbian Progressive Party and former president of the Obrenovac municipality, would say Miroslav Cuckovic commenting on the announcements about the establishment of passenger traffic on the railway line between Belgrade and Budapest on the social network X: "While others have rockets flying over their heads, our policy of peace, stability and progress brings citizens a 'rocket' to Budapest at a ticket price of 26 euros. Promise - fulfillment!"
The entire rhetoric of the government is summed up in that one sentence: the world is burning, but Serbia is rushing forward. While missiles are exploding somewhere, promises are being fulfilled here. Economic tiger, although according to numerous indicators are failing, in official addresses he is still running at full speed.
Distasteful pun
The city manager may have played with words. The only question is whether it is about clumsiness and bad taste at a time when war is taking lives, or about a conscious attempt to further strengthen the impression of progress by contrasting the tragedy of others with domestic "success".
Rocket as a weapon of destruction and "rocket" as a metaphor for speed and technological progress are put in the same basket, as if it is not a reality in which people die. However, paradoxically, it is precisely the train and the railway that are associated with one of the biggest tragedies in the last decade - canopy collapse Novi Sad railway station, a tragedy for which responsibility has not been determined since November 2024, and in which 16 people died and one was seriously injured.
And when will the domestic "rocket" take off?
Announcements are coming in almost every day. Freight traffic on the railway between Belgrade and Budapest has already started, while the passenger one should be established on March 27, announced the Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Aleksandra Sofronijević.
Previously, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, announced the first departures for the end of March, while the Hungarian Minister of Construction and Transport, Janos Lazar, previously bid on March 15. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Peter Szijártó, meanwhile, stated that passenger rail traffic on the Belgrade-Budapest line should be established by March 27 at the latest.
The high-speed train should travel about three hours and ten minutes, while the regional train, with several stops along the way, will travel about 30 minutes longer. The price of a one-way ticket will be around 25 euros.
