The Belgrade Metro and Train Company was founded with the aim of enabling the project implementation of two metro Belgrade lines and four lines of the BG:voz until 2033. In addition, the future BG:voz suburban rail system with the planned four lines also includes connecting of the municipalities of Lazarevac and Mladenovac with regular and frequent BG:voz. In the coming decades, through the transit oriented development, it will be provided that the City of Belgrade has a steady and sustainable development throughout its territory.
The development of the BG:voz with the introduction of two new lines (one connecting the Nikola Tesla Airport) also includes the replacement and purchase of new electric motor trains, the arrangement of stations and stops, the construction of new stops and the improvement of the passenger information system and its connection to the future unique public transport information system of the City. The company, together with the Founder, will provide guidelines for the improvement and development of the urban railway. Along with two metro lines, the citizens of Belgrade will be able to be transported quickly and in a comfortable way to all important destinations in the city.
If there is no improvement in public transport regarding the high-capacity rail system, predictions are that by 2033 (SMART plan, 2017) the number of vehicles on Belgrade transport network will increase by 50%. The aim is to increase already high share of public transport in the total number of Belgrade citizens trips from the current 48% to 50%.
The future metro and the existing and future BG:voz will be carefully integrated with other modes of public transport - bus, trolleybus, taxi and especially with improved tram subsystem, and also with new trends such as limo service, bicycle-sharing system, etc.
The development of the high-capacity rail system along with the disincentive measures towards road transport based on fossil fuels will significantly improve the environmental protection and lead us towards Belgrade as a green city.
Metro system is a technologically very complex and demanding undertaking both in terms of construction and in terms of operation and maintenance. The construction of such systems also encourages the economy development. The aim is to maximize the involvement of local industry and construction, to improve technical knowledge and to acquire new technologies during the metro construction and BG:voz development. The Belgrade metro development will enable the increase of the level of knowledge and skills involved in this project and will create the technical and personnel base for future projects.
The experience of other cities shows that the development of metro system is a long-term continuous process. The new lines not only serve certain parts of the city, but also with the interchange stations of the previously built lines increase their utilization and make the whole system more efficient. Even at this stage of the project implementation during the design process of the first two metro lines, it is provided that the third line will cover the southeast and southwestern parts of the city.
In addition to the basic transport functions (to connect places of residence with places of work and schooling, to provide accessibility to important points in the city, such as urban centers, economic zones, recreational facilities and tourist attractions, etc.), it should provide citizens with ease and security of communication, investors with more efficient functioning of the facilities, zones or complexes in which they wish to invest, and tourists and recreationists with more comfortable and easier accessibility to certain destinations. The concept of the Belgrade metro should therefore activate significant territorial capital (construction land in the center and periphery), i.e. to enable priority potentials to be activated and used optimally.
The Belgrade Metro Project can greatly influence the rise of the City of Belgrade to a high level among the metropolitan cities and capitals of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, according to the criteria of sustainable economy and advanced technology, greater territorial cohesion of the City, higher accessibility to traffic and other infrastructure, reinforced polycentricity and decentralization and developed urban identity. The spatial development of the City of Belgrade is directed towards strengthening the position among European capitals from MEGA4 to MEGA3 level.
For such plans, a team of experts will be created who will be able to independently develop, design and lead the execution of future stages of metro system development, but also to monitor and implement new technologies in cooperation and with the consent of the Founder.
