This scene depicts a typical workday at the rail-laying site of the Novi Sad-Subotica section of the Hungary-Serbia Railway in Serbia. Here, the railway is steadily "growing", linking local cities into a convenient and vibrant network.
This railway segment starts from Novi Sad Railway station in Serbia and ends at the Serbia-Hungary border, stretching 108.1 kilometers, with the rail laying commenced on April 6, 2023.
At a campsite in the Novi Sad-Subotica section, Ning Zeyuan, a staff member of the Hungary-Serbia Railway project, shared a heartwarming story with reporters. Last November, four ladies arrived at the construction site with various packages and waved to the busy workers. One of the ladies joyfully said, "I'm Luricha Vlaich. Thank you for your efforts in building our city. These cakes and biscuits are made by us. Please accept them."
"I felt very proud," Ning Zeyuan said. The project staff regarded these gifts as a witness to the sincere friendship between China and Serbia.
The Belgrade-Novi Sad section of the Hungary-Serbia Railway has been in operation for over two years, realizing Serbia's "high speed rail dream". May 1 is a public holiday in Serbia. That afternoon, Hanna, a Serbian girl working in Belgrade, boarded a train to Novi Sad, with the wide Danube River flowing calmly outside the train windows.
Hanna told Xinhua News Agency reporters that she visits her boyfriend in Novi Sad every weekend or holiday. Before the Belgrade-Novi Sad section of the Hungary-Serbia Railway opened, the railway journey was long, and the station and carriage conditions were average. Sometimes, she had to choose long-distance buses. Now, local residents have a faster and more comfortable travel option.
Zoran Petronijevic, a 69-year-old engineer at the Serbia Project Office of the Hungary-Serbia Railway, has worked in the railway electrification and construction field in the local area for over 4 decades. He lives in Zemun, a small town near Belgrade, and commutes between Zemun and Novi Sad every day. Previously, it took 1 hour and 40 minutes to travel to Novi Sad. Now, it only takes 45 minutes.
Petronijevic referred to the quick commute as "dual-city life" happiness. This railway is another testament to Sino-Serbian friendship and has become a "road to happiness" in the eyes of local residents.
In the past two years, the Belgrade-Novi Sad section of the Hungary-Serbia Railway has transported over 7 million passengers. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic previously stated during an inspection of the construction site that the entire line of the Hungary-Serbia Railway in Serbia will be completed by the end of 2024. At that time, the travel time from the capital Belgrade to Subotica will be reduced to 1 hour and 15 minutes. "For the Serbian people and the entire country, this is a huge change and has significant meaning for local residents."
From Belgrade to Budapest, the Hungary-Serbia Railway will connect historic small towns in Central and Eastern Europe, reducing the railway travel time between the two capital cities from 8 hours to 3 hours, greatly improving the travel conditions for residents along the route, promoting economic and social development, and expanding economic and trade cooperation and exchanges.
The Chinese side is responsible for constructing a section of the Hungary-Serbia Railway in Hungary, where the rail laying officially started at the end of May last year. Currently, the track laying progress is smooth, with the right-line track basically connected, and the left-line track laying is in progress. About 70% of the track laying in the section has been completed, and the overall project completion progress exceeds 55%.
In Hungary, there is a saying that goes like "You can go further only with friends." The Chinese team in the Hungary section of the Hungary-Serbia Railway is actively cooperating with the Hungarian side to promote the progress of the project. They also focus on strengthening "cultural Hungary-Serbia" and "green Hungary-Serbia" cooperation, providing thousands of job opportunities for locals, holding "open days" for enterprises, issuing corporate social responsibility reports, participating in Sino-Hungarian language and cultural exchanges, and promoting the heart-to-heart connection between the two countries.
The Hungary-Serbia Railway is a landmark project of jointly building the "Belt and Road" Initiative (BRI) between China and Central and Eastern European countries. In the view of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, the Hungary-Serbia Railway is a successful example of a multi-country cooperation project. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that Sino-Hungary relations have maintained good development in recent years, achieving fruitful results. Investments and cooperation from Chinese companies, including the construction of the Hungary-Serbia Railway, have significantly promoted Hungary's economic and social development.
This "road to happiness" is of great significance for expanding economic cooperation between China, Hungary, and Serbia, strengthening connectivity in the European region, and promoting the joint construction of the BRI, bringing tremendous benefits to regional development.
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