No Subway Line to Go to Prokop? – What the Map Shown by Vucic Reveals

The president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, announced that the first line of the Belgrade Subway should be completed by 2028. However, the map that he presented on that occasion showed a considerably changed route of the planned third line, which now excludes – as does the whole subway plan! – the Belgrade Center Rail Station in Prokop.

The map we had the opportunity to see during the presentation of the plans of construction for the future EXPO 2027, and which concerns the construction of the subway, is different from the plans presented so far, which are also available on the website of the PUE Beogradski metro i voz, and which are also presented in the plan of the development of rail systems in Belgrade. The company told our portal that the route through Prokop was one of the options for line three, and that the route through the Vuk Monument area was also an option.

Within the plan of the development of rail systems in Belgrade, the subway line 3 is planned on the route: Paunov breg-Banjica-Trosarina-Stepa Stepanovic-Brace Jerković-Central Cemetery-Vitanovacka-Autokomanda-Belgrade Center Rail Station-Clinical Center of Serbia-Manjez-Pioneers Park-Republic Square-Beton hala-TC Ušće-Arena-New Belgrade Rail Station-Airport City-Gandijeva-Dusana Vukasovica-Vojvodjanska-Bezanija Cemetery and Bezanija Depot.

The route of the third subway line, according to the technical documentation, is planned as a cut & cover line in the part from Bezanija to Block 42, in a deep tunnel on the part of the route from Block 42 to Banjica, except in the part from the planned subway station Clinical Center to the subway station Belgrade Center, where the route would go up to the facility.

The map which was presented on Tuesday, however, shows that the third subway line should go from Banjica 2, through Trosarina, the Stepa Stepanovic and Brace Jerkovic settlements, and then change the route and go through parts of the settlements Medakovic 1, Sumice, Vojislava Ilica, Crveni Krst, to the Vuk Monument area, the Faculty of Law, the National Assembly building, the Port, Usce and then down the previously announced route to the Bezanija Depot.

PUE Beogradski metro i voz: Route across Vuk Monument one of options for line 3

The General Regulation Plan for the rail system with elements of detailed development for the first phase of the first subway line defines the planned route of line 3 based on the Conceptual Design prepared in 2021, the PUE Beogradski metro i voz said for eKapija.

They add that the conceptual design of line 3 was prepared to the end of developing several options and defining the space within the planning document.

– The intermodality of public transport and linking the subway with other means of transport of passengers in Belgrade is a strategic orientation of the PUE Beogradski metro i voz. One of the main tasks in designing is the development of potential connection stations of the subway system and a link with the Belgrade Center Rail Station (Prokop) and the plan is for this station to be connected with the subway – the response says.

The PUE Beogradski metro i voz is preparing tendering documentation for the launching of the public procurement procedure for the selection of the planner of the Preliminary Design of line 3 of the Belgrade Subway with the Feasibility Study and the Environmental Impact Assessment Study, which will be opened in the fourth quarter of 2023.

– The task of the future planner will be to, within the Preliminary Project, do a detailed analysis of the current route of line 3 in the planning document, which goes across the Belgrade Center Rail Station, as well as other potential solutions according to their technical feasibility and the economic feasibility of the investment. One of the options for the line is the route through Kralja Aleksandra Blvd and the connection with the Vuk Monument Rail Station, which will be one of the solutions for further development within the planned Preliminary Design of the subway line 3 – they say at the PUE Beogradski metro i voz.



Vucic asked earlier for the first subway line to go to Prokop

Let us remind that, in late May 2022, Vucic asked for the first line to encompass Prokop as well while visiting Makisko Polje, where works were being carried out.

– A solution should be found whereby, in addition to Beovoz and the New Belgrade line, the subway should also be connected with the fast train to Novi Sad. If we don’t link it with Prokop, we will make a catastrophic mistake. The year 2027 is not far, it’s five, six years away. It’s better to correct the error now, while it’s in the project, than later – Vucic said at the time.

The minister of finance of Serbia, Sinisa Mali, said at the time that the third subway line would go through Prokop, and Vucic proposed for a solution to be found for the subway to be immediately linked with the Prokop railway station.

However, it was pointed out at the time that it was difficult to change the first line project now that it was known that the preliminary design was nearly finished, and that there were also serious technical reasons.

– Even initially, when the subway system in the capital of Serbia started being discussed, half a century ago, the main railway station was not included in the first line. The railway station is well connected with the BG Voz system, and the bus connection should be improved a bit. It is difficult to change the first line project if we know that the preliminary design is nearly finished – the then director of the PUE Beogradski metro i voz, Stanko Kantar, said for the Novosti daily.

Kantar said that, for the first line, it would be difficult to carry out works near the rail station, because it would cut into the deeply set anchors which protect the Dedinje Hill from landslides toward Prokop.

– In line with that, having the subway line pass through the Clinical Center and Prokop in the planned way is not possible from several aspects, namely, vibration, noise, geological and infrastructural limitations, as well as the changes in the space that would occur as a consequence of the newly built or planned healthcare facilities. The good thing is that the third line should solve all the engineering problems of the construction of the subway system in that part – the then director said.

The citizens’ association “Po meri metro” at the time welcomed president Vucic’s opinion that the Belgrade Subway should be immediately connected with the new rail station Belgrade Center in Prokop and expressed hope that the current plan would be adjusted so that the first line encompasses the new rail station, as well as the Clinical Center of Serbia, left out by this plan.

I. Zikic

Predsedništvo Republike Srbije

JKP Beogradski metro i voz Beograd

Ministarstvo finansija Republike Srbije

Udruženje građana Po meri metro

President of Serbia

PUE Begradski metro i voz

Ministry of Finance

citizens association Po meri metro

Siniša Mali

Andreja Mladenović

Aleksandar Vučić

Stanko Kantar

Prokop Rail Station

Belgrade Center Rail Station

subway

first line

third line

subway line 3

subway line three

subway construction