Belgrade Metro

At the same time, the suburban railway system BG Voz, which runs underground through the city centre, is only considered to have a role of an S-Train.

[2][4] After the war ended, the city's authorities concentrated on reconstructing the demolished urban infrastructure, pushing the introduction of trolleybuses.

[2] City planners have contemplated the possibility of introducing a metro to Belgrade's transit system since the early 1950s, but there were no real projects in that direction.

[8][9] The neighbourhoods, projected for the inclusion in the metro grid were: Zemun, New Belgrade, Zvezdara, downtown, Dorćol, Čubura, Banjica, Čukarica, Palilula, Višnjica with the later addition of Braće Jerković and Dunavski Venac.

[2] For that purpose, the Subway section within the city administration was formed in the early 1970s, headed by Branislav Jovin, Belgrade's chief urban planner at the time.

First lines were supposed to be Zemun-Vukov Spomenik (via New Belgrade and Terazije; with later extension to Mali Mokri Lug) and Kalemegdan-Autokomanda, and it was planned that they would be finished in eight or nine years.

[2] The plan envisioned that Zemun and Terazijska Terasa would be connected by the 1980s, and for that purpose an additional, metro bridge over the Sava was to be built, which would extend from Nemanjina Street.

[2] The entire grid was to have 74 km (46 mi) of tracks and 84 stations while the final deadline for the completion of all lines and other planned objects above the ground was 2021.

Ineco projected that the train will go above the ground through the longest street in central Belgrade, Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra, but by 2009 that idea was dropped.

[11][14] This decision was severely criticized by a large number of urban planners, led by Branislav Jovin, while architects close to city authorities were advocating the construction, resulting in a substantial polarization between the opponents and proponents of the light metro plan.

[17] The Egis Group would produce an overall metro concept for the city, while the company Alstom envisaged being responsible for tracklaying, electrification, signalling equipment and rolling stock.

[21] In 2014, Belgrade's Mayor Siniša Mali talked about the construction of the metro starting by 2016, and that even the French government may support the building and financing of the subway.

Unlike any of the previous projects, the metro was to be complement the existing rail system BG Voz, including the transfer of passengers.

[24] The project also differs from all the previous ones as it sets the crossing of the major lines under the Belgrade Waterfront on the Sava bank, a highly controversial pet project of President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and mayor Mali, instead under the central city squares of Terazije or Republic Square as planned in the previous decades.

Architects and engineers reacted negatively, especially since both terminuses are at the moment nothing more than still un-urbanized heaths, though mayor Mali said that this line will connect the future projects which will "with the development of metro, bring billions of euros in investments and millions of square meters of the new business areas".

Dr Ratomir Vračarević, traffic engineer and professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Technical Sciences said how the surveys showed that this direction has a very low number of potential commuters, well below the profitability level.

He added that we still don't know how much of it will go below or above the ground and the Belgrade Waterfront section is going to be costly in general, especially if it goes underground because the area had been built on a landfill.

The critics also pointed to the fact that Makiš is the major water purification facility in Belgrade and made negative remarks on mayor's assessment that his SMART plan is the "first serious survey" on the subject.

He basically disputed the 1976 study calling numerous parts of it an error: population density, directions with highest number of commuters, bad connection of the traffic changing points, distance from the proposed stations.

He added that Makiš is good because there is enough space for a depot, station and parking and that city will "make money" because the price of the surrounding land will grow.

This caused a massive public mockery of his statement in social media, while experts published maps and explanations refuting his claim.

Vučić said that the projected crossing of two lines at Belgrade Waterfront is pointless because both the main bus and railway stations will be dislocated from that position.

[27][28] In February and March 2018 the future metro was one of the focal points of the city government in the campaign for the local elections in Belgrade.

[29][30] After winning the elections, later in March the city administration announced a new spatial plan which prioritized a whole series of other projects and pushed the construction of the metro.

[36] Despite previous arrangements between Serbian and French governments, in April 2019 deputy mayor Vesić announced that the metro will be funded by the Chinese company "Power China" and built in partnership with the city.

Concerns include: apparently already chosen French and Chinese contractors even though no official contracts for the actual construction of the subway have been signed; lack of an actual project by the government, as the negotiating with the companies includes the possible routes which are being adjusted to the contractors, not to the transportation problems in the city; still non-existing financial construction; absolute bypassing of all the obligatory legal procedures and total lack of transparency, as the deals are being made in direct conversations between few domestic politicians and foreign companies.

The following metro lines are proposed at Phase 1: Stations Characteristics of the lines and stations include:[46] Line 1 Železnik-Makiš marshalling yard-Žarkovo and Bele Vode-Trgovačka Street-Požeška Street-Banovo Brdo farmers market-Ada Bridge-Belgrade Fair-Gazela Bridge-Palace of Justice-Sava Square-Republic Square-Francuska Street-Port of Belgrade-Dunav Station-Pančevo Bridge-Karaburma railway station-Diljska Street-Višnjička Street-Mirijevo Boulevard-Mirijevo Gymnasium-Mirijevo Line 2 Zemun railway station-New Novi Sad Road-Filipa Višnjića Street-Zemun Stadium-Senjski Trg-Aleksandra Dubčeka Street-New Belgrade Municipality-Mercator Center Belgrade-Belgrade Arena-Sava Centar-Sava Square-Manjež-Makenzijeva Street-Južni Bulevar-Šumatovačka Street-Vojislava Ilića Street-Cvetkova Pijaca-Mite Ružića Street-Ustanička Street-Mirijevo In February 2020, deputy mayor Vesić confirmed that construction would start by the end of 2020,[49] but in May he moved the starting date again, saying they were doing everything for construction to start "by the end of 2021".

[51] When the contract for drafting the feasibility study was ceremonially signed on 21 July 2020, Mihajlović and Vesić stated that the construction will start in a "year-and-a-half", now claiming the length of 60 km (37 mi) and lifting the price to €6 billion.

[54] Yet another document, a Memorandum of understanding, between Serbian, French (technology, tracks, trains) and Chinese (construction works) side, was signed on 22 January 2021.

[57] In September 2021 the city announced the results of public voting to select the appearance of the cars of the future subway trains, which began in July.