Alstom wins €915m contract for Belgrade's first driverless metro

With close to two million residents, Belgrade is one of the last major European capitals without a metro. The project is designed to ease chronic road congestion, cut CO₂ emissions and boost the city's economic appeal. It is also the first metro to break ground in the Western Balkans, a region where no such system currently exists.

Line 1 will run 15 km from Železnik to Mirijevo, with 11 km in tunnel beneath the city centre, serving 15 stations. Alstom will supply 32 three-car driverless Metropolis trains fitted with its Urbalis CBTC (Communications-Based Train Control) signalling technology, enabling headways as short as 90 seconds. The rolling stock will be manufactured at Alstom's plant in Valenciennes, northern France. The scope also covers telecoms, traction power, trackwork, platform screen doors and a centralised control centre with integrated cybersecurity systems.

Civil engineering is handled by Chinese state-owned contractor PowerChina. Since 2023, project management and construction supervision have been carried out by the Franco-German consortium of SYSTRA and DB Engineering & Consulting on a 50/50 basis. Tunnel boring machine (TBM) works are scheduled for later in 2026, with preparatory works already under way at the Makiš depot site.

France is backing the project with up to €680 million in financing: a €150 million direct loan from the French Treasury and up to €530 million in commercial loans guaranteed by export credit agency Bpifrance Assurance Export. The Serbian government is co-funding works directly from its national budget. Total investment for both initial lines is estimated at around €4.4 billion. Line 1 is due to enter service between 2028 and 2030.