New "Soko" goes to Prague

This was announced by the Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Goran Vesić.

"The train will leave for Prague tomorrow, certification will be carried out for a year according to the rules of the European Railway Agency, by the contract with the Chinese company that will deliver five such trains to us, for which 54.5 million euros have been allocated," Vesić told TV The first.

Chinese high-speed trains must have both European and domestic certificates, and once both certificates are in place, Serbia will pay for them, explained the minister.

"The certification process will take a year, but once obtained, there will be no need for re-certification. So, starting next year, we will have all five trains whose price is lower than the trains we have now," Vesić added.

He stated that the train is 103 meters long, with 250 seats, modern and comfortable, and the difference between first and second class is practically only in the number of seats.

The train will have a cafe and places for bicycles and will accommodate people with disabilities.

A special feature is the lithium battery, which allows the train to continue moving at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour, about 10 to 15 kilometers depending on the terrain configuration, which means that it can reach the first station, emphasized Vesić.

The minister also said that at the end of November or the beginning of December, the Novi Sad - Subotica section of the high-speed railway will be put into traffic, as President Vučić announced.

"We will finish the railway by July, then the certification of the railway for EU standards will follow, which will be done by a Dutch company so that in September Deutsche Bahn will carry out the technical acceptance of the railway. It should be finished around December 15, and then the test runs will begin." the minister stated.

The journey from Belgrade to Subotica by high-speed train will take one hour and 10 minutes, which will completely change the lives of citizens in all the places that are on the high-speed rail route.

"We expect that by the end of 2026, our Hungarian friends will finish their part of the railway, in the meantime all our trains will arrive, and we will have a fast connection between Belgrade and Budapest, which will take less than three hours to travel," Vesić said, adding that customs and the police should be in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Subotica, and Budapest so that there would be no detention at the border.