Serbia’s Ministry of Transport has selected the consortium of Deutsche Bahn and Systra (50/50 association) to deliver management services for Belgrade Metro construction.
“We got two great European companies and this is proof that the Belgrade Metro construction will be implemented at European standards. At the moment, it is the largest metro project in Europe and we are happy that large European companies are coming to Belgrade,” Vesić said.
DB Engineering & Consulting (DB E&C) won the project management contract for Line 1 of Belgrade metro including the depot located in Makiško Polje. The contract was signed by the Predrag Lukic, the secretary of the Secretariat for Public Transport of the City of Belgrade, Andreja Mladenović, Acting director of PUC, Belgrade Metro and Train and Nataša Bezmarević, Branch Manager Serbia, DB Engineering & Consulting. EUR 46 million is the value of the contract which “will be financed from the budget of the Republic of Serbia meaning that we cover it completely from our budget,” Goran Vesić, the Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, said.
The services provided by DB E&C include project management, planning review and construction supervision for a total of 21.2 km of route with 21 stations and the depot. It is the first of three planned lines that are intended to strengthen public transport in the Serbian capital and reduce car traffic in the future. The preparatory construction work will already start this year, Deutsche Bahn says.
The role of the Project Management Consultancy (PMC) is to monitor and supervise the various design and build contracts including the progress, cost, design, building permits, quality and performance up to and including the testing, commissioning and defect notification period.
“Systra is very proud to be selected for this very exciting and challenging project. Our group will provide the necessary support to our Serbian client’s teams. This project will have a very positive impact on the life of Belgrade inhabitants, by considerably reducing the carbon footprint and strengthening the attractivity of the city,” Jean-Charles Vollery, Systra Group Chief Operating Officer said.
The first line will be 15.4 km long with 15 stations while the second line will have a length of 5.96 km and six stations. The project will mostly be underground, and the train and the systems will use the latest state-of-the-art driverless technology. The line will run along the Sava River, crossing Belgrade city centre, connecting the Makisko Polje area in south part of the city, to the Mirijevo urban neighbourhood in the north-east.
“We look forward to pioneering a safe and efficient metro system in the Western Balkans region. This will help connect urban hubs, commercial and residential areas, as well as leisure and tourism destinations, resulting in a more livable city overall,” Niko Warbanoff, CEO of DB E.C.O. Group to which DB E&C also belongs, said.
In the next months, a contract will be signed for the construction of the Makiško Polje depot. The minister said that once the contract is signed, construction will start immediately and, in addition, by the end of this year design works will begin on several metro stations. “As soon as the review of the first line project is completed, we will sign the contract on the construction of that line and thus Belgrade’s dream of a metro, which lasted for more than 50 years, will finally become reality,” Vesić voncluded.
Belgrade Metro is the first metro project in the Western Balkans and according to Serbian authorities, the system will have 60 km with 60 stations. A pre-feasibility study elaborated by Egis highlights that the first two lines of city’s metro system will be 42 km long with 25 stations estimated at EUR 4 billion. The would have a length of 22 km long with 24 stations worth EUR 1.8 billion, while the second will have a length of 20 km with 21 stations estimated at EUR 2.2 billion. The 23 km long Line 3 will be served by 22 stations. The entire automated metro system project with three lines is estimated at EUR 6 billion.
In July 2020, the City of Belgrade and Egis Group signed a contract to develop a feasibility study, conceptual design and environmental impact assessment. In August 2021, Egis was awarded a new contract to develop feasibility studies for the second line of Belgrade metro system.
In January 2021, Serbia’s Ministry of Finance and the City of Belgrade signed a MoU with Power Construction Corporation of China, Alstom and Egis Rail to develop the first metro line. Alstom will be responsible for the design, manufacture and commissioning of the metro trains, the digital train control systems, the infrastructure including the track laying and the power supply solutions, as well as the transport system integration.
We remind that at the end of 2020, the governments of Serbia and France signed an agreement for the development and construction of infrastructure projects in Serbia, including the Line 1 of Belgrade Metro.
In January 2023, the City of Belgrade awarded RATP Dev an Early Operator Assistance contract for one year, with the option to extend it by another one year. Under this contract, from March 2023 RATP Dev assists the City of Belgrade’s Secretariat for Public Transport and BMV (Beogradski Metro i Voz) with its operator experience and expertise to review and advise on the functional design and specifications of the metro system, with a specific focus on passenger experience, safety, operation and maintenance concepts, and optimisation of life cycle cost.
Belgrade Metro construction is expected to be completed in 2028 when operation is also planned to begin and in 2030 the second line will be completed to provide citizens the best option for sustainable public transport.
Share on:
