Apart from being able to boast of increased passenger numbers and new routes and configurations, Srbijavoz’s Ivan Bulajić also points out that the company operated at a profit for the first time since its inception, according to a report for the first nine months of 2023, realising net profits of 370 million dinars
Here the man at the head of Serbian railways speaks to CorD Magazine, with undisguised pride, about Srbijavoz’s plans for the coming year, which will be marked by the hiring of expert personnel, the arrival of 16 latest-generation Stadler FLIRT trains, the introduction of inter-city trains, the opening of new railways and new routes, but also numerous other benefits for passengers.
You’ve had another successful year and enjoyed a great increase in passenger numbers compared to the period two years ago. Trains have been shown to be back in fashion?
— Thanks to the major investments of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, as well as our own desire to improve the operations of Srbijavoz, I can note with pride that, by the end of 2023, we will have transported more than seven million passengers.
This figure confirms that, compared to 2021, the number of passengers choosing to travel by train is two and a half times higher. We work on a daily basis to advance our operations in order to be able to offer our passengers the best possible user experience and to be competitive against other forms of transport. Travelling by train is a special experience in its own right, offering numerous advantages over other ways of travelling. Our goal is to transport more than eight million passengers over the course of 2024, which is a completely realistic expectation according to all parameters.
Citizens are returning to the railways, and not only along the Belgrade-Novi Sad route, given that you have increased demand on almost all routes. Is that accompanied by satisfying financial results?
— It is very important to us that we preserve the trust passengers place in us, and accordingly, and in accordance with our current possibilities when it comes to rolling stock, we double capacities on all routes where we notice increased demand and a need among passengers, i.e., we combine two trains, which enables us to satisfy needs when there is an obvious increase in passenger demand ahead of certain departures. Such a situation has occurred on the Užice-Belgrade and Novi Sad-Belgrade routes.
The company no longer has outstanding financial obligations and there are enough funds on the account to cover all such obligations taken on in the period ahead
Naturally, all positive changes related to the railways also have a positive impact on the operations of Srbijavoz. According to the report for the first nine months of operations in 2023, Srbijavoz has become profitable for the first time since its establishment, realising net profits of 370,000,000 dinars. The company no longer has outstanding financial obligations and there are enough funds on the account to cover all such obligations taken on in the period ahead. We are very proud of this fact, because it has demonstrated that, with a precisely targeted business strategy and significant investments, we can achieve the full recovery of Serbian railways – a system that stagnated completely for almost four decades.
Would you agree that the recently opened magnificent new building of the Prokop Belgrade Centre Railway Station, together with the high-speed trains along the Belgrade- Novi Sad route, serve to symbolise our railways’ renaissance?
— Every investment – from the smallest ones, like the purchasing of new uniforms for employees, to the largest projects, such as investing in the construction of a high-speed railway or a railway station, the likes of which the capital city has long deserved – contributes to the renaissance of our railways. A complete revitalisation cannot happen overnight, but it is very important to make certain shifts every day.
I am absolutely convinced that the construction of the high-speed railway between Belgrade and Novi Sad helped citizens remember the beauty of travelling by train, only now with a completely new look, a different ambience, and in a much faster way. It has also increased the need among citizens from other parts of our country to have an opportunity to travel on a train at speeds of up to 200km/h, because travelling in this way has immeasurable advantages compared to any other way of travelling.
A complete revitalisation cannot happen overnight, but it is very important to make certain shifts every day
That’s why the project to build the Belgrade-Niš high-speed railway represents a crucial juncture in Serbian railways’ renaissance. The possibility for citizens to travel from Belgrade to Niš in 90 minutes will completely change the traffic situation and habits of passenger travellers in our country. I’m convinced that this route will achieve even greater success than the Belgrade-Novi Sad route, and the story of the rebirth of our railways will then be largely complete.
When will the 18 latest-generation Swiss Stadler FLIRT trains arrive – with the procurement having been agreed in 2021? Along which routes will they operate?
— We expect to receive the first Stadler FLIRT trains in April, as well as the opening of new lines. I think the year ahead will bring the greatest changes when it comes to actual rail traffic since the company was founded in 2015. Successively, from April, new trains will be included in traffic and that’s what excites us the most about the year ahead. The new trains will enable us to have a traffic functioning concept very similar to the on the Belgrade-Novi Sad route; that is to say that we are introducing so-called inter-city trains. This means that, for example, we will introduce services along the Belgrade-Užice route that will only stop in larger towns, which will reduce the journey time between Belgrade and Užice to less than three hours. Apart from enabling faster travel, the new trains also provide for a more comfortable journey, so the user experience will improve significantly.
Is there anything you’d like to announce for 2024? Perhaps some new line?
— We will pay special attention to the hiring of expert personnel in the year ahead, because the advancement of our business and the wave of investments in new rolling stock have created both the space and the need for new employees. Moreover, in addition to the arrival of new trains, we are also expecting the introduction of new lines over the coming year. We will introduce a route from Novi Sad to Sremska Mitrovica, as well as from Pančevo to Novi Sad. We plan to extend to Stara Pazova all the lines coming from the direction of Pančevo, which will mean a lot to citizens who travel in this direction every day, because Pančevo will thus be adequately connected to the capital. Another project that’s certainly among the most important projects that will be completed by the end of the year is the opening of the railway between Leskovac and Niš. I’m sure that this route will achieve fantastic results and will completely change the daily lives of citizens from this part of Serbia, because it will be possible for them to travel more economically, faster and safer.