The governments of Hungary and Serbia have denied reports that the Chinese side is pulling out of the Budapest – Kelebia – Belgrade railway expansion project. Speculation about this had last increased in September 2023. Despite the use of materials and machines from the project for the emergency repair of the Budapest – Komárom – Hegyeshalom – Vienna KBS1 line and possible new requirements from the Chinese side, Hungary has increased the budget for the project. However, it remains unclear which company will install ETCS train protection in an EU-compliant manner and what the financing will look like, as this has been suspended according to media reports. There is speculation that the currently half-finished line will be put into operation at a lower speed than planned. Despite the difficulties, the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated that the project is scheduled to be fully completed by 2025. In addition, the Hungarian government is under pressure to improve the railway infrastructure, as investors in up to 15 planned large factories and supplier plants are concerned about the state of the infrastructure and are demanding an additional 40 to 50 trains per day.
