February 29 (SeeNews) - Serbia plans to launch the overhaul of some 2,000 kilometres of regional railways this year, transport minister Goran Vesic said.
The works will be financed partially by the European Union and partially by own funds, Vesic said in an interview with local broadcaster TV Prva on Wednesday.
"Once we complete this process, we will be able to say that all our railways have been revamped," Vesic said, expressing confidence that the project will be completed in the next ten years.
Vesic noted that Serbia now has a total of 3,400 km of railway tracks. An additional 108 km will be added later this year, following the completion of the overhaul of the Novi Sad-Subotica section of the railway line linking the capital Belgrade to Hungary's Budapest.
"The high-speed railway towards Subotica will be completed in July this year. It will be opened in December after passing all tests and technical probes," Vesic said.
Serbia completed the revamp of the 75-km railway section between Belgrade and Novi Sad in 2022.
In March 2023, Vesic said that Hungary is expected to complete by 2025 the overhaul of its 152 km section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line.