From what I've read the rebuilding of the Belgrade-Nis line is to commence in 2025. It is going to take a few years but expect it to be similar to the now rebuilt Belgrade-Subotica high speed line built by the Chinese. Service on that line is supposed to begin Nov. 24 2024. Hungary is rebuilding their line from Budapest to Subotica and maybe within a year you will see Budapest-Belgrade high speed(200 kph) service. This is a strategic freight corridor which will ultimately restore dependable service between Turkey and Greece on the one hand and Central Europe.
I have a couple of corrections for you as a Serbian train enthusiast. Novi Sad- Subotica is opening two weeks later actually, in December, because of the tragedy that happened. Recently it was announced that the Belgrade-Budapest service will be started at the latest by March 2026, per the Hungarians. Also, yes, Belgrade-Nis high speed is starting early next year (supposedly). One thing you missed: Nis-Bulgarian border is actually currently being reconstructed for brand new 120 km/h service. I think it's currently the oldest line in Serbia. I wish this video was made in a few years when that's finished, but alas. Additionally, the Serbian and Bulgarian were recently discussing building another new high speed line to connect Corridor X to Turkey, but those are just loose plans for now.
@@matematika1000 Thanks for the great update. I did ride the Belgrade-Novi Sad segment in October 2022. Quite nice. I must say as a Serbian rail enthusiast you must have suffered in silence but better days are ahead. Patience! As an American, I have nothing positive to say about our Amtrak service.
@@raleighsheffield841 I absolutely hate our government, but honestly, the investment in rail is something I like. The recent tragedy but a damper on my excitement, but there is a lot of work being done right now and in the near future. More so than any other country in the Balkans, for some reason our shitty government actually recognized the importance of rail transport.
And what most don’t realize is that Serbia will again be on a viable key freight corridor. Good transportation can induce new industry and lower cost to move goods and agricultural products. Great investment for Serbia’s future
@@raleighsheffield841 hell yeah! I’m excited to be on the European network again once we’re connected efficiently to Budapest. I’d love to see some Nightjet or Railjet type services. A Belgrade-Vienna passenger service through Budapest would be revolutionary for our population
In July 2017 I planned to travel by train from Paris to Sofia: Paris-Munich-Zagreb-Belgrade-Sofia. From Paris to Zagreb was great, fast air-conditioned trains and a fabulous ride through Slovenia. Zagreb to Belgrade was slow, incredibly hot, no food or drink on the train, uncomfortable seats, and on and on. Once I got to Belgrade I decided to skip the train and fly to Sofia, have never regretted it. But I can recommend the overnight train from Bucharest to Istanbul (the Sofia leg connects with it) which I took in October 2022 - even though it arrived 6 hours late it was very comfortable and the landscape is worth the trip. And for that matter the Vienna-Bucharest overnight train is great, though always hours late - the boring Hungarian part is overnight and you have all the landscape of Romania to watch during the day as it inches towards Bucharest.
Project of high-speed (up to 200kmh) line from Belgrade to Niš is ready, expected time of travel cuts to only 70 minutes, the work will begin in the beginning of 2025 until 2029. Expected opening date to Niš - Dimitrovgrad line (electrified, up to 120 or 160kmh (?)) is the end of 2027. Also Novi Sad - Subotica - border with Hungary high-speed line opening date is december 8th, 2024 and there are some works to refurbish Belgrade (Pancevo) - Zrenjanin - Kikinda - Romanian border line
@@bosnianphantom480 Something tells me that getting convicted in Serbia is not something that you might necessarily want. Or in any country, for that matter.
I used to get first class, it has power outlets so I could use my old laptop. Now my laptop could actually last the journey and the wife started driving so now we take the car.
The main railway station in Belgrade is nice as is the train you were in, let's be honest. The problem is the rail tracks, they have not been renovated. Anyway, there were other options.
You definitely took a very big hit for Team SR on this trip, well above and beyond the call of duty. You need a nice relaxing dining/sleeper trip to recover.
When traveling in the Balkans in August 2022, I wanted to go by train from Sofia to Belgrade. And after viewing this video, I'm glad I didn't -- I took the bus instead. The bus was its own horror because of how slowly it went in approaching the Bulgaria-Serbia border crossing. It was a summer Sunday, and it seemed like all of Europe was out driving with the same idea in mind. For the last 10-15 km, the bus crawled to the border due to the heavy traffic. And the passport control on both sides was slow because of all the buses going through the dedicated bus lane. Once we got through to Serbia and a brief rest stop near the border, the ride was pleasant and uneventful. However, due to the heavy traffic at the border, the bus arrival into Belgrade was four hours late. It will be great when the Serbian stretches of railway are finally upgraded to modern standards so through trains can go once more. But that's going to be years into the future. Thanks for the good video and description, Thibault!
The line from Sofia to Kalotina(border with Serbia) is already in renovation with a double track with speeds up to 160 km/h. It will be complete in two years from now. As for the serbian part to Belgrade - I dont know anything. Especially the part from Dimitrovgad to Nis, which is in a auful condition and even still not electrified. O, and by the time that there was still passenger trains, the train was taken this "journey" for more than 3 hours. For about 100 km of lenght. What a speed! :)))
The EMU You spotted in Serbia is not that typical for Eastern Europe. Even Yugoslavia used at least 3 types of different EMUs made by RVR, Pafawag ang GANZ-MAVAG. Bulgarian railways bought RVR trains though.
The unfortunate part is that there is a faster section to Lapovo waiting for papers. Section over Krsna is done with reconstruction now probably four years, and its a V-MAX 120kph but for some reason its not being used by passenger trains. The highspeed that everyone in comments is talking about will probably be another nail in the coffin of the Serbian Railways. With one stop only in Jagodina it's gonna put a even darker shadow on regional rail in Serbia. The old Belgrade - Niš track really needs to be brought to working order with speeds at longer sections being at least 80kph. Niš - Dimitrovgrad is getting fixed because of derailments this year.
Back in 1988 we rode the line with 100 of other Inter-railers going to Greece ! Two Soviet Ammendorfer from Moscow to Athens with a very effective AC and a harsh "providnitsa". And two luggage cars where they put almost all the Inter-Railers. The big doors were open because it was 30+ hot outside and the speed .. hmmm.. NOT over 50-60 km/h
Even *Albania* have people who nip out when the train is due and operate the level crossing barriers! And that's a country where the entire national timetable can be printed on one side of A4!
2:21 Have you forgotten that long distance configuration Stadler FLIRTs exist? Example being the ED160 used by PKP Intercity on many routes around Poland's electrified rail network. Those are great basically and I can see them almost every time I travel by train from my hometown. But why woudl we travel 7 hours on a regional train?
for me to travel by train has nothing to do to travel fast. exactly the opposite. i want to enjoy every minute on train. The longer the journey, the greater the enjoyment of traveling on the train.
Ah yeah, very nice. I traveled this back in April this year, but other way around. Comming from Vienna to Bucharest, then some days later to Sofia, to return via Belgrade and Hungary home. I actually traveled faster, or better to say, I would have travelled faster, but sadly we had an accident with a car some like 20tish Kilometers before Beograd xd you can imagine the pain. But all in all, yeah, it takes very long to drive, but the scenery is nice, the people were frendly, and it was a quite decent experience. But 1 time is alright, no need to repeat it xd
Kudos to you for taking the plunge. The railway in Serbia is desperate, no investment has been made for 40 years. Along with Albania, Bosnia and Croatia, Serbia has the worst railways in Europe. In recent years, a little investment has been made, but even these investments are a cover for corruption, reconstructions cost five times more, because certain government structures are included in the cost of reconstruction.
I can see that all forget the war in the 90s... the bad rail infraestructure and non investment is some consequence of that. However, the nonsensical destruction of the former Belgrad station isnt.
i keep going w belgrade-nis train even tho its the slowest asf transport,but nothing can replace the comfort of a train. Im afraid of bus drivers in Serbia. They are more likely to crash than this slow crap lmao. Still,id not recommend this train to anyone who dont wanna save tons of money and isnt a train enjoyer no matter how slow it is. Thanks for the video too!
The Balkans really need faster and better railways with double tracks that allow trains travelling up to 200 km/h to improve railway connections between Europe and Asia while we can't travel via Russia.
I had tested this trip myself in the summer of 2023 and the train just broke down in the middle of Serbia, a good fraction of our ticket we had got back but there was no replacement bus or anything. Fortunately, there was a regional bus that took us to Belgrade but not one from srbjia voz😂
These Flirt 3's are worked on in hungary at Pusztaszabolcs, i always go by them and they look really awesome! I think they do some works on the Axles perhaps?
Great trip. I don't know how to say it, but yeah flying is still faster between two cities, but for someone who afraid of flying, taking the road vehicle (bus or maybe Ride sharing) is faster than train between two cities. I think the Soko Train Project makes Railway in Serbia can influence and improve others railway line nationwide, but sadly not yet.
Serbian Railways' train announcement in English language aboard Stadler Flirt regional service! Sure better than commuter train notices by voice (live) in Florida.
Honestly, you knew it was bad, you knew it takes that long, and you still took that service (and for a second time). Honestly, this one is on you. I am from Serbia, and will now explain the facts (which you failed to see). Belgrade-Niš rail line is in poor condition, no doubt about it, but did you ever stop to think why was there only a 4x daily Regional train? Well, only a very few passengers travel directly from Belgrade to Niš, so we have cut every express service and left a bare-bone regional train to service smaller towns and villages. No one here expects you to travel the whole route, and that is why it takes 6+ hrs in contrast to 4 hrs it would take a hypothetical express train (which is still bad). This is the state of it now because it is getting ready to be modernized for 160-200 km/h next year. IC trains will travel the route in 95 minutes by simulation calculations for example. Unfortunately, all passenger traffic will have to be cut during the works, whereas freight service will continue in windows of 36 hours. It is expected to be completed by 2030+-. After that complete rail line from Niš to Budapest will enable 160/200 km/h speeds, and with further modernization from Niš to Skoplje and Sofija it will significantly cut travel times in the whole region. You just have to start somewhere, and we have decided to first do the connection from Belgrade to Novi Sad and HU border which has been quite successful so far. That is why there are huge differences between the state of rail lines, you just can't modernize everything now, especially after 30 years of noninvestment. There are plans in place for the rest of the network and it will be done one by one in the following decade.
08:07 Ha ha ha Greatings from Serbia. It is accident before month a go. About slow rails. Yep. Rails southern of Belgrade are in very bad conditions. I like to use that line when i travel to Belgrade or Nish but people from western Europe do not likes slow trains, actually slow rails. I LIKE IT. But i must say something. I traveled around 15 times to Belgrade and Nish in latest two years. TOTAL DELAY of trains in that periood is less then 60 minuts together. Every time train comes on time or couple minuts later. In oposite direction, the same. High speed train between Belgrade and Budapest are finished from serbian side. Fast trains alredy operating, 200km per hour. It is around 300km in Serbia and i do not know how many in Hungary. High speed line between Belgrade and Nish is in process of building, will be finished for 2 or 3 years probably. I am sad, because I LIKE SLOW TRAIN TRAVELS.
They may have to keep the old, slow route for freight trains and to keep service for areas that won’t be served by the new line, so don’t worry too much
I've noticed that former communist countries (USSR, Yugoslavia, etc.) as well as Mainland China have a tendency to design their rail stations like airports. Most of these stations look similar.
Both countries are Hungary and Bulgaria no need passport check can take the train like as domestic ways and it's part of Schengen area and EU member states countries.
they should have bought končar trains like bosnia did, končar trains are very good for balkan countries like serbia, they are regional trains that can be used for long journies like this
Ah, the romance of rail travel. You give us the good, the bad and the ugly in your journeys - this is definitely the last of those. By he way, feet on seats is not a good look.
The things that you do for us thibault not so long ago you were having to suffer a luxurious train ride for us and now something similar, well you were on a train that’s similar 😊, great post again, love your vlogs, next week I suffer the 5 star orient express just for you 😊😊
13hrs to go 395km is ridiculously slow pretty sure you could drive that distance from whoa to go in around 4 hrs even allowing for a pit stop on the way !
Comme quoi le train en Europe n'est pas toujours au top. Ça me fait penser un peu au Canada, probablement même en pire. Ici, le service sur la ligne Québec-Montréal-Ottawa-Toronto est décent, même s'il y a parfois des histoires d'horreur exceptionnelles comme des passagers bloqués dans un train pendant 10 h en septembre 2024. Mais si vous sortez de cette ligne, la lenteur et les retards sont la norme, avec la priorité au fret et une infrastructure conçue au 19e siècle et qui n'a guère évoluée depuis, sans compter les horaire ridicules, avec 1 train par jour dans une seule direction (la direction retour se fait le lendemain) et il y a même un jour par semaine sans aucun train. Par contre, le confort est correcte. Prenez par exemple le trajet Montréal-Jonquière, cela se fait en 11h22 (si l'horaire est respectée). Un parcours d'environ 460 km. Cela donne une moyenne d'a peu près 40 km/h. On parle d'un pays du G7, supposément très riche.
From what I'm gathering, this trip might get you to do more International Trips just to forget this strip! 😉 Ever since the war this has been going downhill. I do hope they fix their problems or their economy will suffer even more than it is now!
during the train ride, did you see any evidence of active track works? was it an unusually hit day that could have triggered slow orders? was the track bunpy or dif you feel the soeed restrictions were artificial? During bus ride, did you see active track works? or just aware they were rebuilding it?
Honestly, this is a pretty odd and a bit disrespectful video. I didn't like the "Serbian infrastructure" comment. Yes, we are a poorer country. But yes, we are also building a lot of new infrastructure, including this very line being fully reconstructed. Why not film a nicer line to uplift Serbia and promote the work being done, but rather literally the oldest and most run down line in the whole country?
Let's hope this gets upgraded soon, Serbia as a whole nation seems to be stuck in the Balkans of the 80's. I guess it's to better match the mentality of its people. Serbians are nice but forward thinking they are not.
This is what happens when agenda (trains, trains, trains in this case) driven people end up getting daused with icewater, i.e. 2 1/2 hrs by bus, 6+ hrs by train. BUT! How else could you show us the reality of the good, the bad and the ugly unless you experience it for us. So you're off the hook and thanks for taking the icewater dunk.
Is this the nature of your job - to assess and criticize eastern europe's train system. You are not obliged to ride the train. Leave the world alone please. But remember that eastern europe did not colonize half the world and exploit their resources in order to become rich and have much better train system.
From what I've read the rebuilding of the Belgrade-Nis line is to commence in 2025. It is going to take a few years but expect it to be similar to the now rebuilt Belgrade-Subotica high speed line built by the Chinese. Service on that line is supposed to begin Nov. 24 2024. Hungary is rebuilding their line from Budapest to Subotica and maybe within a year you will see Budapest-Belgrade high speed(200 kph) service. This is a strategic freight corridor which will ultimately restore dependable service between Turkey and Greece on the one hand and Central Europe.
I have a couple of corrections for you as a Serbian train enthusiast. Novi Sad- Subotica is opening two weeks later actually, in December, because of the tragedy that happened. Recently it was announced that the Belgrade-Budapest service will be started at the latest by March 2026, per the Hungarians. Also, yes, Belgrade-Nis high speed is starting early next year (supposedly).
One thing you missed: Nis-Bulgarian border is actually currently being reconstructed for brand new 120 km/h service. I think it's currently the oldest line in Serbia. I wish this video was made in a few years when that's finished, but alas. Additionally, the Serbian and Bulgarian were recently discussing building another new high speed line to connect Corridor X to Turkey, but those are just loose plans for now.
@@matematika1000 Thanks for the great update. I did ride the Belgrade-Novi Sad segment in October 2022. Quite nice. I must say as a Serbian rail enthusiast you must have suffered in silence but better days are ahead. Patience! As an American, I have nothing positive to say about our Amtrak service.
@@raleighsheffield841 I absolutely hate our government, but honestly, the investment in rail is something I like. The recent tragedy but a damper on my excitement, but there is a lot of work being done right now and in the near future. More so than any other country in the Balkans, for some reason our shitty government actually recognized the importance of rail transport.
And what most don’t realize is that Serbia will again be on a viable key freight corridor. Good transportation can induce new industry and lower cost to move goods and agricultural products. Great investment for Serbia’s future
@@raleighsheffield841 hell yeah! I’m excited to be on the European network again once we’re connected efficiently to Budapest. I’d love to see some Nightjet or Railjet type services. A Belgrade-Vienna passenger service through Budapest would be revolutionary for our population
In July 2017 I planned to travel by train from Paris to Sofia: Paris-Munich-Zagreb-Belgrade-Sofia. From Paris to Zagreb was great, fast air-conditioned trains and a fabulous ride through Slovenia. Zagreb to Belgrade was slow, incredibly hot, no food or drink on the train, uncomfortable seats, and on and on. Once I got to Belgrade I decided to skip the train and fly to Sofia, have never regretted it. But I can recommend the overnight train from Bucharest to Istanbul (the Sofia leg connects with it) which I took in October 2022 - even though it arrived 6 hours late it was very comfortable and the landscape is worth the trip. And for that matter the Vienna-Bucharest overnight train is great, though always hours late - the boring Hungarian part is overnight and you have all the landscape of Romania to watch during the day as it inches towards Bucharest.
Project of high-speed (up to 200kmh) line from Belgrade to Niš is ready, expected time of travel cuts to only 70 minutes, the work will begin in the beginning of 2025 until 2029. Expected opening date to Niš - Dimitrovgrad line (electrified, up to 120 or 160kmh (?)) is the end of 2027. Also Novi Sad - Subotica - border with Hungary high-speed line opening date is december 8th, 2024 and there are some works to refurbish Belgrade (Pancevo) - Zrenjanin - Kikinda - Romanian border line
@@VinegarGuts only left towards Bosnian and Croatian border
This train is literally as fast as a fit person on a bicycle. Quite an achievement.
"The first class section was reserved for police transporting a convict..." 😮
I wish I was that convict, getting first-class for free 😂😂😂😂
taking him on the train may constitute a human rights abuse icl
that convict had a ride of his life.
@@bosnianphantom480 Something tells me that getting convicted in Serbia is not something that you might necessarily want. Or in any country, for that matter.
I used to get first class, it has power outlets so I could use my old laptop.
Now my laptop could actually last the journey and the wife started driving so now we take the car.
I have done the train between Nis and Belgrade, for a first time on a Serbian train and in first class it is actually bearable.
Lovely video, watching from serbia 🇷🇸
доброго дня товарищ дятлов!
The main railway station in Belgrade is nice as is the train you were in, let's be honest. The problem is the rail tracks, they have not been renovated. Anyway, there were other options.
You definitely took a very big hit for Team SR on this trip, well above and beyond the call of duty.
You need a nice relaxing dining/sleeper trip to recover.
When traveling in the Balkans in August 2022, I wanted to go by train from Sofia to Belgrade. And after viewing this video, I'm glad I didn't -- I took the bus instead. The bus was its own horror because of how slowly it went in approaching the Bulgaria-Serbia border crossing. It was a summer Sunday, and it seemed like all of Europe was out driving with the same idea in mind. For the last 10-15 km, the bus crawled to the border due to the heavy traffic. And the passport control on both sides was slow because of all the buses going through the dedicated bus lane. Once we got through to Serbia and a brief rest stop near the border, the ride was pleasant and uneventful. However, due to the heavy traffic at the border, the bus arrival into Belgrade was four hours late.
It will be great when the Serbian stretches of railway are finally upgraded to modern standards so through trains can go once more. But that's going to be years into the future.
Thanks for the good video and description, Thibault!
The line from Sofia to Kalotina(border with Serbia) is already in renovation with a double track with speeds up to 160 km/h. It will be complete in two years from now. As for the serbian part to Belgrade - I dont know anything. Especially the part from Dimitrovgad to Nis, which is in a auful condition and even still not electrified. O, and by the time that there was still passenger trains, the train was taken this "journey" for more than 3 hours. For about 100 km of lenght. What a speed! :)))
The EMU You spotted in Serbia is not that typical for Eastern Europe. Even Yugoslavia used at least 3 types of different EMUs made by RVR, Pafawag ang GANZ-MAVAG. Bulgarian railways bought RVR trains though.
RVR EMU's are so beautiful and very nostalgic
Just take a plane from Belgrade to Sofia and it is so easy.
The unfortunate part is that there is a faster section to Lapovo waiting for papers. Section over Krsna is done with reconstruction now probably four years, and its a V-MAX 120kph but for some reason its not being used by passenger trains.
The highspeed that everyone in comments is talking about will probably be another nail in the coffin of the Serbian Railways. With one stop only in Jagodina it's gonna put a even darker shadow on regional rail in Serbia.
The old Belgrade - Niš track really needs to be brought to working order with speeds at longer sections being at least 80kph.
Niš - Dimitrovgrad is getting fixed because of derailments this year.
Back in 1988 we rode the line with 100 of other Inter-railers going to Greece ! Two Soviet Ammendorfer from Moscow to Athens with a very effective AC and a harsh "providnitsa". And two luggage cars where they put almost all the Inter-Railers. The big doors were open because it was 30+ hot outside and the speed .. hmmm.. NOT over 50-60 km/h
Even *Albania* have people who nip out when the train is due and operate the level crossing barriers! And that's a country where the entire national timetable can be printed on one side of A4!
2:21 Have you forgotten that long distance configuration Stadler FLIRTs exist? Example being the ED160 used by PKP Intercity on many routes around Poland's electrified rail network. Those are great basically and I can see them almost every time I travel by train from my hometown. But why woudl we travel 7 hours on a regional train?
Feels a bit like Germany, it takes me 8 hours from Frankfurt to Brussels sometimes...
for me to travel by train has nothing to do to travel fast. exactly the opposite.
i want to enjoy every minute on train. The longer the journey, the greater the enjoyment of traveling on the train.
Ah yeah, very nice. I traveled this back in April this year, but other way around. Comming from Vienna to Bucharest, then some days later to Sofia, to return via Belgrade and Hungary home. I actually traveled faster, or better to say, I would have travelled faster, but sadly we had an accident with a car some like 20tish Kilometers before Beograd xd you can imagine the pain. But all in all, yeah, it takes very long to drive, but the scenery is nice, the people were frendly, and it was a quite decent experience. But 1 time is alright, no need to repeat it xd
14 hours for 400 km. Could be regional service in Germany on some days…
Kudos to you for taking the plunge. The railway in Serbia is desperate, no investment has been made for 40 years. Along with Albania, Bosnia and Croatia, Serbia has the worst railways in Europe. In recent years, a little investment has been made, but even these investments are a cover for corruption, reconstructions cost five times more, because certain government structures are included in the cost of reconstruction.
Excellent video. What app is used to create animated journey map?
I can see that all forget the war in the 90s... the bad rail infraestructure and non investment is some consequence of that. However, the nonsensical destruction of the former Belgrad station isnt.
For next trip try Belgrade - Bar (Montenegro)
Now i fell our railways are light years ahead despite not being good.
i keep going w belgrade-nis train even tho its the slowest asf transport,but nothing can replace the comfort of a train. Im afraid of bus drivers in Serbia. They are more likely to crash than this slow crap lmao. Still,id not recommend this train to anyone who dont wanna save tons of money and isnt a train enjoyer no matter how slow it is. Thanks for the video too!
The Balkans really need faster and better railways with double tracks that allow trains travelling up to 200 km/h to improve railway connections between Europe and Asia while we can't travel via Russia.
I was planning to do this trip in the other direction last summer, but the bus to Nis was so delayed that I missed the train...
I had tested this trip myself in the summer of 2023 and the train just broke down in the middle of Serbia, a good fraction of our ticket we had got back but there was no replacement bus or anything. Fortunately, there was a regional bus that took us to Belgrade but not one from srbjia voz😂
These Flirt 3's are worked on in hungary at Pusztaszabolcs, i always go by them and they look really awesome! I think they do some works on the Axles perhaps?
It’s ridiculous how so many countries under-invest in railways. They’re a key driver for a country’s economy.
Great trip. I don't know how to say it, but yeah flying is still faster between two cities, but for someone who afraid of flying, taking the road vehicle (bus or maybe Ride sharing) is faster than train between two cities. I think the Soko Train Project makes Railway in Serbia can influence and improve others railway line nationwide, but sadly not yet.
That's why I fly. 😌
Nice video as always , you should try Romania's new Coradia stream train that goes from Bucharest to brasov , that would be cool
Since we're talking steam trains, the Dampfbahn Furka Bergstrecke would be a great ride
@@counterfit5 Stream, not steam. It's a modern train, not historic.
I did this exact journey a year ago and there was also a convict being escorted by two police officers😂 they just sat next to me though
Unfortunately, this is a completely normal state of infrastructure in the Balkans. Not only in Serbia
Serbian Railways' train announcement in English language aboard Stadler Flirt regional service! Sure better than commuter train notices by voice (live) in Florida.
Honestly, you knew it was bad, you knew it takes that long, and you still took that service (and for a second time). Honestly, this one is on you. I am from Serbia, and will now explain the facts (which you failed to see). Belgrade-Niš rail line is in poor condition, no doubt about it, but did you ever stop to think why was there only a 4x daily Regional train? Well, only a very few passengers travel directly from Belgrade to Niš, so we have cut every express service and left a bare-bone regional train to service smaller towns and villages. No one here expects you to travel the whole route, and that is why it takes 6+ hrs in contrast to 4 hrs it would take a hypothetical express train (which is still bad). This is the state of it now because it is getting ready to be modernized for 160-200 km/h next year. IC trains will travel the route in 95 minutes by simulation calculations for example. Unfortunately, all passenger traffic will have to be cut during the works, whereas freight service will continue in windows of 36 hours. It is expected to be completed by 2030+-. After that complete rail line from Niš to Budapest will enable 160/200 km/h speeds, and with further modernization from Niš to Skoplje and Sofija it will significantly cut travel times in the whole region. You just have to start somewhere, and we have decided to first do the connection from Belgrade to Novi Sad and HU border which has been quite successful so far. That is why there are huge differences between the state of rail lines, you just can't modernize everything now, especially after 30 years of noninvestment. There are plans in place for the rest of the network and it will be done one by one in the following decade.
Thibaut maybe check out the Christmas train by comboios de Portugal if you have the time.
Unfortunately, I think that there are no good railways on Balkan. Situation isnt better in Croatia, either.
08:07 Ha ha ha Greatings from Serbia. It is accident before month a go. About slow rails. Yep. Rails southern of Belgrade are in very bad conditions. I like to use that line when i travel to Belgrade or Nish but people from western Europe do not likes slow trains, actually slow rails. I LIKE IT. But i must say something. I traveled around 15 times to Belgrade and Nish in latest two years. TOTAL DELAY of trains in that periood is less then 60 minuts together. Every time train comes on time or couple minuts later. In oposite direction, the same. High speed train between Belgrade and Budapest are finished from serbian side. Fast trains alredy operating, 200km per hour. It is around 300km in Serbia and i do not know how many in Hungary. High speed line between Belgrade and Nish is in process of building, will be finished for 2 or 3 years probably. I am sad, because I LIKE SLOW TRAIN TRAVELS.
They may have to keep the old, slow route for freight trains and to keep service for areas that won’t be served by the new line, so don’t worry too much
@@olasola1013 I hope. Route isnt 100% the same.
100th Like! Loved this video
I did part of this journey in BG from Sofia to Dragoman which is also getting upgraded
I've noticed that former communist countries (USSR, Yugoslavia, etc.) as well as Mainland China have a tendency to design their rail stations like airports. Most of these stations look similar.
Both countries are Hungary and Bulgaria no need passport check can take the train like as domestic ways and it's part of Schengen area and EU member states countries.
The serbs say: oh look at us we have a all new railwaystation in belgrade and 50 new trains (but no one built new tracks)😂😂🎉 classic
they should have bought končar trains like bosnia did, končar trains are very good for balkan countries like serbia, they are regional trains that can be used for long journies like this
hahaha
I think The Balkans generally is a 'DON'T DO IT'
Does this mean that, because of the Nis-Dimitrovgrad closing, Optima Express didn't run this year, and will not run next year?
I wouldn't expect much else, after all it's the Balkans.
Ah, the romance of rail travel. You give us the good, the bad and the ugly in your journeys - this is definitely the last of those. By he way, feet on seats is not a good look.
The things that you do for us thibault not so long ago you were having to suffer a luxurious train ride for us and now something similar, well you were on a train that’s similar 😊, great post again, love your vlogs, next week I suffer the 5 star orient express just for you 😊😊
Ha ha ha ... "Remont" is a word you'll have to understand in the Balkans...
13hrs to go 395km is ridiculously slow pretty sure you could drive that distance from whoa to go in around 4 hrs even allowing for a pit stop on the way !
😂👍
This felt like A Serbian Film on a train.
Boa tarde simplys Boa viagem ai pra sófia Boa 1:50
yes this route its quite annoying!
So the tracks there are just like in the US
Comme quoi le train en Europe n'est pas toujours au top. Ça me fait penser un peu au Canada, probablement même en pire. Ici, le service sur la ligne Québec-Montréal-Ottawa-Toronto est décent, même s'il y a parfois des histoires d'horreur exceptionnelles comme des passagers bloqués dans un train pendant 10 h en septembre 2024. Mais si vous sortez de cette ligne, la lenteur et les retards sont la norme, avec la priorité au fret et une infrastructure conçue au 19e siècle et qui n'a guère évoluée depuis, sans compter les horaire ridicules, avec 1 train par jour dans une seule direction (la direction retour se fait le lendemain) et il y a même un jour par semaine sans aucun train. Par contre, le confort est correcte. Prenez par exemple le trajet Montréal-Jonquière, cela se fait en 11h22 (si l'horaire est respectée). Un parcours d'environ 460 km. Cela donne une moyenne d'a peu près 40 km/h. On parle d'un pays du G7, supposément très riche.
How did they get this new rolling stock if they don't have any money for the tracks ?
We could have enough money. But it keeps landing in the politicians' pockets 😅
Day 5 of Asking to do The Rack Railway In Greece
I hope you are happier in other videos.
8:48 Dude wtf
Great video.
From what I'm gathering, this trip might get you to do more International Trips just to forget this strip! 😉
Ever since the war this has been going downhill. I do hope they fix their problems or their economy will suffer even more than it is now!
✌️🇧🇬👌
13 hours??
Защо да не пътуваме с влак или автобус от София до Белград-София през 2024 обяснете защо така сте си озаглавили клипа
Thanks!
during the train ride, did you see any evidence of active track works? was it an unusually hit day that could have triggered slow orders? was the track bunpy or dif you feel the soeed restrictions were artificial?
During bus ride, did you see active track works? or just aware they were rebuilding it?
Honestly, this is a pretty odd and a bit disrespectful video. I didn't like the "Serbian infrastructure" comment. Yes, we are a poorer country. But yes, we are also building a lot of new infrastructure, including this very line being fully reconstructed.
Why not film a nicer line to uplift Serbia and promote the work being done, but rather literally the oldest and most run down line in the whole country?
Let's hope this gets upgraded soon, Serbia as a whole nation seems to be stuck in the Balkans of the 80's. I guess it's to better match the mentality of its people. Serbians are nice but forward thinking they are not.
And you really don't ever have to visit eastern europe again.
I went on a date with destiny, so you don't have to! Serbia... 😂
where are the words that normallly at the bottom of the screen?
You need to turn on the subtitles
@@osasunaitor tried that but there isnt any
@@matthewbateman1947 must be an issue on your side, I could see them perfectly
This is what happens when agenda (trains, trains, trains in this case) driven people end up getting daused with icewater, i.e. 2 1/2 hrs by bus, 6+ hrs by train. BUT! How else could you show us the reality of the good, the bad and the ugly unless you experience it for us. So you're off the hook and thanks for taking the icewater dunk.
ok i won't do it
why so slow 😵
BUStitution!
You have it hashtagged #TripReportByJustin, but that looked like you in the mirror
I'm from Brazil. A gigantic country that doesn't have regular train service. That's why I love this channel!
Yes, there are a lot of suburban trains in Brazil, and two long distance lines, plus several tourist lines. So that is wrong.
The title translations are nonsense. Please just use English so people have a chance of knowing what the title is supposed to be about.
Is this the nature of your job - to assess and criticize eastern europe's train system. You are not obliged to ride the train. Leave the world alone please. But remember that eastern europe did not colonize half the world and exploit their resources in order to become rich and have much better train system.
As always, Balkan videos are my favourite content on this channel :D
You are a masochist!
WAIT 14H FOR 400KM? the tgv do this in like 30minutes
I'd like to see a TGV running at 800 km/h.
That was a overexeragion
First comment
How many people work on your channel?
Just me, Thibault