Old Rail Bridge to Be Turned into Footbridge – Statics Being Checked

Pedestrian-cycling, tram, or a footbridge – the fate of the Old Rail Bridge, which has been out of function since the summer of 2018, when the traffic from the until-then Main Rail Station, was canceled, has been discussed for years, but what is certain is that, unlike the Old Sava Bridge, no option entails its removal. According to the latest announcements, the Old Rail Bridge, all things considered, will be turned into a pedestrian bridge.

The works have started on the first permanent Belgrade bridge, which has been demolished and reconstructed several times, and the minister of finance of Serbia, Sinisa Mali, pointed out that the works pertained to the checking of the bridge’s statics.

– As the weather gets warmer, the works will start at full capacity. On the New Belgrade side, we are removing gravel and concrete bases. It is especially important, because the entrance to the bridge will be on that side, that is, the exit, if you’re looking from the side of the old city. The idea is to smoothly go between the two sides of the rives – Mali said while visiting the construction site of the future complex, where the specialized exhibition EXPO 2027 will be held.

The Old Rail Bridge, the oldest traffic route across the river in Belgrade, celebrates its 140th anniversary this year. Its construction started in 1882, and it was completed two years later when, in August 1884, the Main Rail Station officially opened and when rail traffic started from it. In the first decades of its existence, the rail bridge was owned by both Serbia and Austro-Hungary. It collapsed into the water for the first time at the beginning of the Great War. The columns and the foundations remained undamaged, so it was soon reconstructed, but the enemy damaged it again during the war. The occupying forces re-established the bridge in 1916, when they built a special track toward Topcider as well. However, parts of the structure ended up in the river Sava again on November 1, 1918, while they were retreating. The bridge was re-established in the early 1920s.

That didn’t last long either. In the first days of the April War, our army demolished all the bridges in the capital city in order to slow down the advance of the Nazi forces. The Germans nevertheless entered the city quickly and temporarily rebuilt the bridge. A year later, the construction of a parallel bridge started downstream, in order to increase the traffic flow. The Germans, however, hadn’t managed to complete it, when the bombing by the Allied Forces happened in 1944. The structure of the old one was especially damaged, so in the post-war period, the plan was to make the less-damaged downstream one functional. It was nevertheless decided to revive the old bridge and to use parts of the structure of the old one for the reconstruction. It was the only rail bridge on the Sava until the new two-track one whose construction began in 1974 and ended five years later.

It was used until June 30, 2018, when the Main Rail Station was closed. Even the newest Stadler trains used it, although at only 9 kilometers per hour.

That there is a chance of this bridge being turned into a tram train after all was announced by the authorities in the City of Belgrade in early 2021, when they were pointing out that the analyses and testing would show whether its structure could be used for tram traffic.

– Experts from the Faculty of Civil Engineering will be hired for the job, and the procedure will be carried out through the Building Land Directorate. On the bridge which hasn’t been used for several years, the structure and the statics need to be checked, and only when that testing is done, we will know whether the reconstruction can start – the city authorities said at the time.

When it comes to the future fate and purpose of this bridge, it is interesting that, unlike the Old Sava Bridge, it has never been mentioned as an obstacle to the international waterway, especially given that the Old Rail Bridge is the lowest bridge in Belgrade, which is easily visible to the naked eye.

Ministarstvo finansija Republike Srbije

Građevinski fakultet Beograd

JP Direkcija za građevinsko zemljište i izgradnju Beograda

Ministry of Finance

Faculty of Civil Engineering University of Belgrade

Building Land Directorate

Sinisa Mali

EXPO 2027

Old Rail Bridge

Old Sava Bridge

former Main Rail Station