Innovation and Technology Minister László Palkovics told the companies in charge of the project that preparations for the project were going according to plan and that the upgrade was expected to be completed by 2025.

The upgraded rail line will put Hungary in a position to become part of the fastest route for goods transported between Greece and western Europe, the minister said. Additionally, the rail link will reduce travel time between Budapest and Belgrade from 8 hours to less than half that duration, Palkovics said.

The meeting was attended by representatives of Hungary’s national rail operator MAV, RM International, China Tiejiuju Engineering and Construction, the Hungarian unit of the China Railway Electrification Engineering Group, international real estate developer FŐBER, Hungary’s Transport Sciences Institute (KTI), the Chinese-Hungarian joint venture set up to coordinate the project and Duan Jielong, China’s ambassador to Hungary.