French Alstom officially entering design phase of first line of Belgrade Subway – Delivering 32 automated trainsets with three carriages each

The French company Alstom announced at the end of March that practically all financing for the first line of the Belgrade Subway project, worth EUR 915 million, had been secured, thus fulfilling the conditions for the start of implementation and Alstom has now officially started the design phase for line 1.

As a reminder, Alstom and the Serbian Ministry of Construction signed a contract for the design and construction of the traffic system for the first phase of Line 1 of the Belgrade Subway on December 19 last year, when the Financial Protocol between the Government of Serbia and the Government of France on cooperation in the field of financing the first phase of the Belgrade Subway project was also signed.

The French company has now announced that it will record this contract in its financial results for the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2025/26, which is standard practice after the finances are arranged.

Thus, Alstom has officially signed the contract for the Belgrade Subway, which signifies the fulfillment of suspensive conditions and the activation of guarantees.

Although Alstom’s official statement emphasizes that financing has been secured without specifying details about the loan structure and distribution of funds, it is known that the financing of the project includes a support package from France, namely direct state loans in the amount of EUR 150 million and commercial loans of up to EUR 530 million with appropriate guarantees, while the remaining part of the funds was provided by the Republic of Serbia through its state institutions and relevant public funds.

The project involves the construction of a 15-kilometer-long subway line from Makisko Polje to Karaburma, with 15 stations and 11 kilometers of tunnels, as well as the delivery of 32 automatic Metropolis subway trains.

As specified in the statement of the French company, in this project for the Public Utility Company Belgrade Metro and Train, Alstom, as a system integrator, will deliver a complete turnkey solution, including 32 driverless Metropolis trains with three carriages, signaling and telecommunications, power supply, track, platforms with security doors, depot equipment, centralized control center and comprehensive cybersecurity systems.

It is added that the subway will be equipped with Alstom’s advanced Urbalis CBTC technology, enabling fully automated, high-capacity and reliable operation. It is also indicated that the Metropolis trains will be manufactured at Alstom’s factory in Valenciennes, France. By signing the contract, the factory practically receives an official work order for the procurement of materials and the start of production.

– The introduction of driverless metro technology will bring tangible benefits, including increased frequency, higher passenger capacity, improved operational resilience and improved safety. The turnkey system will enable reliable and energy-efficient operation, with train intervals of around 90 seconds, supported by a state-of-the-art integrated control center and cybersecurity platform – the statement says.

Alstom emphasizes that the project represents an important step in the modernization of public transport in Belgrade and a contribution to the long-term goals of sustainable development and traffic congestion reduction.

B. P.

Ogranak ALSTOM Transport SA Beograd

Ministarstvo građevinarstva, saobraćaja i infrastrukture Republike Srbije

JKP Beogradski metro i voz Beograd

Alstom

Ministry of Construction

PUC Belgrade Metro and Train

Belgrade Subway line 1

design and construction

contract

financing

subway trains

Metropolis subway trains