We Took a Ride on “Soko” to Novi Sad – What Did We Like, and What Did We Not Like? (PHOTO, VIDEO)

The news that the Belgrade-Novi Sad railway opened for traffic was welcomed with great excitement, as confirmed by the crowds at the Belgrade Center station, better known as Prokop. Two long queues at the counters, half an hour before the departure, but also a great number of passengers already on board, showed that the departure on Monday at 2.05 PM was just as attractive as the one the day before.

We had also decided to test how the “Soko” train “flies”, quipping “let’s see if it really only takes half an hour”.

For those who love new features, what can save them from queuing are automatic devices, installed near the counters, where you can buy a ticket yourself, provided that you have a contactless payment card. One flaw is that the device is not user-friendly. In other words, it requires a little time and patience, as well as a double check, in order to be certain that you have picked the desired items. After you press the card against the device, you get a train ticket the same way you get coffee, water of snacks from a vending machine. The promotional prices of RSD 300 for a one-way ticket and RSD 600 for a return ticket apply until April 30.

The ticket clearly indicates which car you should get on board, but also your seats. If you still can’t find your way, there’s the kind staff that will guide you. However, the flaw that we immediately noticed is how the seats are numbered. To clarify, if you are traveling with someone, there’s a good likelihood that you will not be sitting together, unless you manage to find a co-passenger who is willing to exchange tickets. For example, if you get the tickets numbered 15 and 16, your seats will be marked 17 and 14. Even stranger is the 12/18 and 11/13 arrangement. We have noticed that the seating arrangement is firmly adhered to, but, as can be expected, it’s not a problem if you want to switch seats with someone.



Although we are used to trains’ being late, even when departing, this one didn’t. The departure, scheduled for 2.05 PM, was right on time. A steward immediately appears in the car and offers you drinks or food, that is, sandwiches and snacks. Perhaps the route is short, but it’s long enough for a coffee.

There’s a pleasant murmur on the train, and the passengers belong to all generations – there’s a grandfather with his grandchildren, teenagers with huge headphones on their ears, curious tourists with cameras, middle-aged people, even entire families. The seats are modern and comfortable, arranged in fours with a table between them, or in twos, like on a bus. There are chargers and lamps, as additional amenities, though the latter are not present on the upper platform.



That you are running at a great speed is apparent from the way the landscape passes by while you’re looking through your window. Our ears also popped when the train “flew” into the tunnel.

Indeed, the new “Soko” train, Stadler KISS, has exceeded even the Swiss trains of the Stadler FLIRT brand, which were introduced as a new thing years before the reconstruction of this railway. What remains the same in every train is the fact that you will always hear music coming from somebody’s headphones or phone, that you will hear that “it wasn’t like this during Tito’s rule”, but also that “this has been a standard in Sweden for 30 years now”. Of course, each ride features experts in various fields and those familiar with the issues of the day. This time, there was talk about the national football team, they style of play and how the 4-42 formation can never bring you victory.

And just like that, in 36 minutes, we were at the main railway station in Novi Sad – all clean and dressed up. The new street furniture at the platforms, a children’s playroom, a gallery, an open balcony and a restaurant on the upper floor. On the ground floor, ticket sale spots, a post and a bank. And when you get out, there are public transport buses for further exploring the city, or a wide boulevard for taking a stroll.



Hoping that traveling by a fast train will become part of our everyday lives, something normal and usual in the 21st century, and that, once, we will “fly” just as comfortably to Subotica and Nis as well, we propose that you set aside half an hour of your time and go have a coffee in one of Serbia’s two biggest cities.

Of course, for those coming from Novi Sad, it will be a bit more difficult, because Prokop is a station that even those who live in Belgrade find confusing. You can reach it by train, but you are advised to prepare well and ask around to see how to go anywhere from it. There’s a round bus line connecting it with parts of downtown Belgrade, with a stop right at the station, and “a bit uphill” is a trolley stop. Perhaps there’s some truth to that joke that is making the rounds online – “How to find the railway station in Belgrade? Go to Novi Sad by car and then go back by train.”

Aleksandra Kekic

Srbijavoz a.d. Beograd

fast train

Soko

Belgrade Novi Sad railway

Novi Sad railway station

Prokop

Belgrade Center

Belgrade railway station

Stadler KISS

Stadler Flirt