Airport & EXPO rail link from Zemun

About Airport & EXPO rail link from Zemun

By the ULTIMATE Belgrade Editorial Team

Belgrade has never had a train to its airport. A new branch line from Zemun Polje will change that, linking the terminal with the city’s rail network and the EXPO 2027 site.

The back story

Nikola Tesla Airport opened at Surčin in 1962, on the open plain west of New Belgrade, and for more than sixty years the only way into town was by road. As the airport grew past seven million passengers a year, with Air Serbia flying to New York and across Europe, a rail link became one of the city’s most requested projects.

Belgrade’s modern suburban railway, BG Voz, began in 2010, running through tunnels and stations under the city, from Pančevo Bridge through Belgrade Centre and New Belgrade to Zemun and Batajnica. Zemun Polje, on that line, was the natural starting point for a branch to the airport.

Zemun Polje, on that line, was the natural starting point for a branch to the airport.

The new line

The line is double-track, electrified and built for 120 km/h, for passenger trains only. From Zemun Polje it runs to Singidunum, Nikola Tesla Airport, Surčin and the new National Stadium station at the heart of the EXPO 2027 site. At Zemun Polje it meets the city rail lines through Zemun and New Belgrade and the high-speed line to Novi Sad and Subotica. The project, worth €188.1 million, is being built by Power China under an agreement between Serbia and China, with three bridges, two underpasses and two overpasses.

Building began in August 2024. The government says works finish by the end of 2026, followed by testing, with the line opening in March or April 2027, before the Expo. New electric trains are arriving from China, and the trip from the airport to central Belgrade is expected to take about 15 to 20 minutes.

What it means for visitors

For the first time visitors will be able to step off a plane and onto a train into the city, with easy changes for Novi Sad and, once the Hungarian section opens, Budapest. Until then, the airport bus and taxis remain the way into town.

The route

Official project figures from the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure.

Listings, fees and opening hours change, so please contact Airport & EXPO rail link from Zemun directly before you visit.